


Family Meeting

by RyanTyler2294



Category: Sengoku Basara
Genre: Abuse, Child Abuse, Family Drama, First family meeting, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-07-15 07:47:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7213855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyanTyler2294/pseuds/RyanTyler2294
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kojuro introduces Masamune to his family over the holiday. Things don't go smoothly and it starts to bring up some bitter memories from his youth. All the while Masamune is having trouble coping with the holiday and finally tells Kojuro things about himself he never told him before. In a way, it's like everyone is meeting each other for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this monster for the better part of a year. It's mostly done so updates should be periodic.

"It’s good to see you again Kagetsuna!" Kojuro’s mom hugged him the moment he was out of the car. She had come down the driveway to greet him despite the blistering cold.

"You too." He said. He smiled softly looking down at his mother.

"Come inside! Kita is already here." She was tugging him along like a child, giddy and excited for whatever was to come.

Once every few months the Katakura got together to have a small family dinner. Now that the kids, Kojuro, and Kita, were older, it was hard for all of their schedules to work out together. These dinners had become less and less frequent because of it, but they still tried to make time for each other. Ironically enough, when Kojuro was younger, he used to dread family game nights. Now he looked forwards to it.

"So how have you been?" Dad over the game table. Today they had decided on playing monopoly.

Kojuro wasn’t dumb. It was his turn, and his father had this habit of talking to people to distract them from when they were on property that he wanted, or when he landed on someone else’s spot.

"Fine. Works been hectic but it’s about time for us to show our annual revenue and put the portfolio together. There have been more than a few mistakes because everyone is freaking out. A lot of layoffs happen around this time." Kojuro explained as he moved scanned the board for any traps.

"That’s mine," Kita said when Kojuro’s piece stopped moving.

"How much?"

"More than you can afford." She grinned. "I own all the colors, which makes the price go up and let’s not forget the four mansion."

Kojuro looked at his last few hundred dollars, and his last piece of property. He sighed. He was always the first one to lose at this game. Kita was grinning at him, hand outstretched and fingers flexing in anticipation of adding to her wealth.

"Fine."

"Don’t pout." Mom said. "It’s unbecoming."

"So," Kita was still smirking as she rolled. "Are you going to tell them what you told me?"

"Tell us what?" Mom was intrigued.

"Oh that." Kojuro blushed.

His dad rolled his eyes already able to guess.

"What is it?"

Kojuro scratched the back of his neck. “Remember a while ago when I said I met someone? Well, things are getting serious and…”

"What’s his name?" His mom was beaming, and Kita was still grinning at him from across the table.

"Masamune." He smiled softly as he spoke his name.

"Awe, you’re in love!" She gushed. "When do we get to meet him?"

"That’s what I was going to talk to you about. I just met his family and I figured that you guys would want to meet him." Kojuro’s eyes shifted between his parents for their reaction. His dad smiled but looked skeptical. His mother was a different story.

"Of course." Mom smiled. "You know we were just talking about how we haven’t been over to see you in a while, and with the holiday coming up, we thought that maybe we could come visit."

"It is your turn to host." Kita pointed out.

"It why I wanted to say something beforehand. We’re living together so he’ll be there."

His mother’s mouth opened and closed a few times like she was gasping for breath. "I can’t wait to meet him!” And yes she was enthusiastic, but she seemed tense now. He wasn’t sure why she suddenly wasn’t as enthusiastic.

~.~.~.~.~

"You’re back." Masamune sat up in bed hearing Kojuro come in.

"Yeah." Kojuro yawned as he put his keys on the dresser. He was clearly sleepy, yet energetic from having spent time with his family.

"Did you have a good time?" Masamune could already guess his answer.

"Yes, and I told them about you."

"And…?" He shifted. They had discussed Kojuro telling his family that what they had was more serious than the last time he had seen him. Masamune hadn’t been too worried about it, but he could tell that Kojuro was even though he had been the one to bring it up.

"They can’t wait to meet you." Kojuro sat on the bed as he removed his shoes.

"When am I?"

"It’s my turn to host Christmas."

"So this month."

"They’ll be here on the twenty-second and they’ll stay until New Years. It’s a tradition."

"So we actually have to make Christmas dinner this time around." He leaned to rest his chin on Kojuro’s shoulder and wrap his arms around his middle.

"Yeah. But we haven’t done a real holiday meal in a while." Kojuro pointed out, turning to kiss Masamune’s cheek. "It could be fun."

"You know what else will be fun?" Masamune asked kissing at Kojuro’s neck.

"Weren’t you asleep a little while ago?"

"I was waiting for you." Masamune rubbed his erection on Kojuro’s back, only the blanket separated them. He moaned. "You’ve been gone all day."

"Masamune…" He was silenced when the younger man turned his head so they could properly kiss. Kojuro allowed himself to give in. He let Masamune have control of the kiss. He could tell from the way his tongue was being poked and prodded, that his lover was in a playful mood tonight.

In one motion he pulled away from the kiss and pinned Masamune to the bed. Masamune giggled leaning up to bestow another kiss on Kojuro’s lips, but the older man stayed just out of range.

"Not fair." Masamune pouted.

"It’s not fair for you to ambush me like that," Kojuro smirked.

"Kojuro," Masamune whined. "Come on." His hips rolled trying to get some form of contact.

"I’m a bit tired," Kojuro smirked hearing Masamune huff below him.

"Just a hand job. We don’t even have to go all the way. Come on."

"What fun is that?" Kojuro released his hold on his victim to take off his shirt. He could feel Masamune watching him with a smile. They both worked together to quickly remove his pants.

Naked and bare, they entwined passionately. Legs wrapped around Kojuro’s waist as they rubbed against each other in the most intimate way. The kiss was sloppy as they tried to continue through their breaths and moans. Their hips moved slowly, enjoying the contact as their sweat slicked bodies rocked against each other. Their toes curled as pleasure ran down their spines.

"Masamune." Kojuro couldn’t take much more. One hand fumbled for the top drawer to the bedside desk trying to find the lube. He knows Masamune said they didn’t have to go all the way, but now he wanted to.

Masamune smiled knowing what Kojuro was planning. He spread his legs. He was ready for him. Two lubed fingers entered and stretched him, and then another. Masamune arched letting out a quiet moan when Kojuro’s finger rubbed inside him and made him see stars. It only happened a few time, because Kojuro seemed content to just finger him like this. His eyes were focused on Masamune’s face, and watching his reaction.

It was always fascinating to watch the way his lover disposition changed when he was about to come. His eye would be wide open, his mouth slightly parted letting out little noises of enjoyment. He twisted and turned in the sheets. He cried out, this time, one of his hands came up to grip Kojuro’s shoulder.

"Ko-ju-ro…" He pressed back moving to meet the thrust of the fingers. "I’m close." He tried to warn, but Kojuro wasn’t letting up. If anything he increased the pace and continued to watch as Masamune unraveled. The younger man’s body shuddered and quaked and he got closer to release. It was clear in his cries and pleads that he craved it, needed it.

He came crying out for Kojuro. The fingers kept moving inside him as he rode out his orgasm.

Kojuro kissed him as he removed his fingers. Softly and gently, he allowed some of his weight to rest on the other man. He kissed him again, changing between deep and intimate, and soft and slow. One hand tweaked one of the now beaded nipples and rolled it between his fingers.

"Shit," Masamune squirmed. He could already feel his hard on starting to throb and grow again. It didn’t help when Kojuro broke the kiss to suck on the other nipple. Eventually, even Kojuro ran out of patients and lined his cock up with Masamune’s entrance. All at once he pushed in and immediately started to move.

"Kojuro." Masamune held on tightly letting Kojuro do as he pleased. He could feel Kojuro’s body tightening up under his hands as if ready to release soon. With how long he had been holding back, it wouldn’t surprise him.

"Masamune." Kojuro actually groaned. It was rare for him to make noises outside of grunts. It left Masamune breathless as he arched and pulled Kojuro closer trying to completely open his body up to him. Hands were suddenly grasping both cheeks of his buttock to have better leverage. His face buried into Masamune’s neck as he went all out. Pants and moans spilled from both their lips.

They came, still trying to pull each other impossibly closer. The collapsed in each other's arms, panting as they tried to regain their breath.

Kojuro was already starting to doze off, and Masamune figured that he should get some sleep as well. However, he did stay awake a little bit longer to watch Kojuro sleep. Normally Masamune got up later, so there were very few times when he got to watch this. Kojuro was by no means a graceful sleeper. He drooled and snored, and sometimes his nose would run. Nevertheless, he was at ease like this, and when Masamune draped his arm over him, the corner of his lip would twitch into a smile.

~.~.~.~.~

The house they lived in was one of the smaller houses that Masamune inherited when he turned eighteen. While to Masamune it was small compared to the main estate, it was still a sizeable house. It’s why the day before the Katakura’s was due to arrive, Masamune had called the cleaners to go over the house one more time, before letting them take their vacation early.

"The guest rooms are prepared and everything," Masamune informed a slightly nervous Kojuro. "I figured I'll make curry for dinner."

Today was the day they were supposed to arrive. They said that they would be here in the hour. He wasn’t even sure why he was so anxious, but something in the back of his head kept telling him that he was forgetting something.

"Kojuro, calm down." Masamune gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "You’re making me worry."

"Sorry." Kojuro apologized looking over the room again. He was getting upset over nothing. If anything the house was cleaner than it had ever been. The cleaners had put extra care this time since they would be gone for so long.

Again he looked at Masamune who seemed pretty carefree as he worked in the kitchen. That or he was distracting himself by cooking. The dragon hummed pleasantly as he cooked. He tasted the curry and smiled. Kojuro didn’t doubt that it was good, the house smelled amazing.

"They’re here!" Kojuro called seeing the car pull up.

"I’ll be right there," Masamune called back, but Kojuro didn’t miss the way Masamune’s back tensed as he hesitated to leave the kitchen. He suddenly found things that needed to be moved and put in order so he could delay this meeting for even a few more seconds.

Kojuro met his family outside to help them with the bags. They hugged and greeted at the car before finally heading inside.

"Wow," Kita said looking around the main room. "It’s beautiful."

"This is what an Accountants salary gets you?" Dad was also impressed.

"So," Mom was more concerned about other things, "Where is he."

"He’s cooking. He just wanted to turn off the stove and he’ll be right out." He glanced at the kitchen hoping that Masamune would emerge soon.

"It smells amazing." She smiled. He could tell she was more than excited to meet Masamune. Sure, Kita and his father were as well, but they didn’t share the same enthusiasm.

"Hey." Masamune rounded the corner and smiled meekly. It was one of the few times that Kojuro had seen him act anything akin to shy. His family reacted all at once. Kita gave a small waved, which was very much like her. His dad’s eyebrow knitted together looked from Masamune to Kojuro then back to Masamune.

"You must be Masamune." She took his hands into his for a handshake. There was surprise written all over her face for some reason, and her smile was tight. It reminded Kojuro of that time when he was five and he painted on the walls to make a mural for his mother. She had been upset about the walls but tried to smile because Kojuro had meant well.

"Isn’t he just a looker? You don’t look a day over twenty-five." She squeezed his hands but never let go.

"I’m actually twenty-seven." Masamune tried to give the same kind of happy expression back. He was uneasy and clearly out of his element. He could see the disapproving smile, but wasn’t sure what to say or how to act to make it go away.

"It really is nice to finally meet you," Kita said honestly. Dad finally smirked at Kojuro as if he had a joke, but he ignored it for the moment being.

"You as well." Masamune had fallen into his corporate casual speech pattern. "Dinner is almost ready. Kojuro, why don’t you show them to their rooms while I set up?"

Kojuro did as he was asked. He could tell Masamune was sensing the mood and was looking for an escape. He allowed him to retreat back into the kitchen and showed his family the upstairs.

"This room is for Mom and Dad, and this one is for Kita. I should help him set up." Kojuro said. "I’ll meet you downstairs."

He too ejected himself from the situation as quickly as possible

"They don’t like me," Masamune said putting out the last bowl.

"It’s complicated," Kojuro said helping with the utensils.

Masamune just snorted. He didn’t have much else to say on the subject. Kojuro gave him a light kiss on the forehead.

“They just need time to warm up to you."

It made dinner awkward, to say the least. The meal mostly consisted of small talk. It served as a dreadful reminder that the family would be staying for almost ten days.

"It really is nice to finally meet you. Thank you for having us."

"It's no problem," Masamune smiled. "Kojuro told me it was tradition, and I figured it was the perfect excuses to finally meet you."

"So," Dad cut in. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm still in school," Masamune explained. "I went to the Date University where I majored in Business Engineering and minored in Management. I took a year off and now I'm back in grad school."

"That sounds pretty pricey," Dad said.

"Yeah, but my dad said that he would cover all my school expensiveness so I don't have to worry about it too much."

"Ah, for a second I thought that Kojuro was helping you pay for everything."

"No, I'm pretty self-sufficient," Masamune smiled changed to his polite business smile. The one that said, ‘”fuck you,” when he couldn’t. 

"That's good." He nodded. "What do you plan to do after you finish your degree?"

"I want to go into management. I've already started applying for internships."

"That's pretty proactive." Kita raised an eyebrow.

"Once school is out, everyone will be applying at once. It's better to get a head start on the competition."

"Smart." Kita agreed. "It must have been hard to get into the Date University, though."

"They offered me a scholarship," Masamune smiled. "It can be hard to keep up with the work because the professors expect a lot from you, but if you put your mind to it and stay focus, you'll come out okay."

"So grad school must be kicking your butt." Kita teased.

"Only the workload." Masamune admitted. "I'm in the process of getting through my last stages for my business portfolio. We had to invest real money into the stock market and hope for the best."

"That's a big gamble," Dad said.

"I know. I did my research on this one. So far I've made the most out of everyone in my class." He boasted.

"It's Christmas time, you still have class?" The mom sounded concerned.

"I'm taking an online course over the holiday season. Only one, though."

"Good, you need to take time in your life to relax once in a while."

"I do. I just been waiting to take this course and it only gets offered in the winter."

The conversation was going oddly well. Masamune was holding his own during the questions. He caught on to what his dad was asking, but Masamune didn't seem to falter.

"I have some fruit in the fridge for dessert if you want."

~.~.~.~.~

“That was the most awkward dinner in my life.” Masamune sighed as they finally got ready for bed. Well, Masamune was face down on the bed pouting while Kojuro slipped on his pajamas. “And I’ve sat through some awkward dinners with my family before. They hate me.”

“They don’t hate you,” Kojuro said. He stopped what he was doing to rub Masamune’s back/ “They’re just apprehensive of you.”

“Kojuro.” Masamune frowned looking over his shoulder.

“I may have forgotten to mention that you’re younger than me.”

“Is it that important?” Masamune’s head popped up. “We’ve been through this before, with other people.”

“They weren’t expecting it so they’re not sure how to react. I’ll talk to them about it.”

Masamune sighed flopping onto his back as Kojuro sat next to him. “And you said they’re going to be here until New Years?”

“Yeah.” Kojuro couldn’t be offended by Masamune’s frustration. He was also displeased by how long they would be staying, but for different reasons.

“Great.”  He rolled back over to scream into the pillows. Truth be told he hadn’t wanted Kojuro’s family here to begin with. He didn’t see why they couldn’t put them up in a hotel or something. However, it was tradition and Kojuro had sounded happy at the thought of seeing his family again.

“I know I’m younger than you, by a lot more than most couples, but it’s not like I’m child.”

“Just give them time,” Kojuro said putting his arm around Masamune’s waist. “Once they get to know you things will be better.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Masamune sighed closing his eye and trying to get some sleep. It wouldn’t do him any good to worry about what had happened today. He had his fingers crossed that Kojuro was right and that things would be better in the morning.

Kojuro sighed pulling Masamune closer to him. He was worried. He felt like he was lying when he said that things were going to get better. His mom could be fickle, and his dad very judgmental. Maybe his sister would be a bit more open-minded. Still, he wasn’t sure if his parents would warm up to him at all.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kojuro's mother is starting to piece together who's who in this relationship, and she's not pleased.

“Kojuro,” Masamune mumbles in the morning. “You’re heavy.”

“It’s barely five, why are you even _trying_ to get up?” Kojuro moved his weight off of Masamune, but not his grip.

“We actually have to make breakfast,” Masamune yawned but continued to struggle.

“The maid will do it,” Kojuro grumbled.

“She’s on vacation,” Masamune reminded him. “Come on, get up.”

“I’ll do it,” Kojuro sighed sitting up. “Get some more sleep.” He kissed Masamune’s forehead.  

“You sure?” He looked up at Kojuro through a sleep-laden eye. The admiration was still clear in his lone eye.

“Yeah,” He didn’t want Masamune to have to deal with his family himself. If he was asleep and they walked in on Masamune in the kitchen, he had no idea what would be said. Besides, Masamune made dinner last night, so it was his day to cook anyways.

“Alright,” Masamune didn’t fight him as much as he thought he would. If anything, he seemed eager to get back under the blankets.

Kojuro yawned as he went through the motions of the morning before heading to the kitchen. Eggs and toast? That sounded good. He would put on the coffee and have orange juice and milk as an option as well. Nothing fancy, just enough to feed everyone.

“You’re up early?” Dad said, entering the kitchen.

“I figured I’d make breakfast.”

“He got you up early making breakfast for him?”

“No, it’s my turn to cook,” Kojuro said turning on the burner and placing a pan there.

“Kagetsuna, your mom and I are worried.” Dad leaned on the counter next to him and lowered his voice as he talked.

“About what.”

“When you have a lover who’s that much younger than you, they’re usually using you for money.”

Kojuro felt his blood run cold. He wasn’t sure if he was offended because his family thought he was stupid, or because they thought so poorly of Masamune without even knowing much about him. They were in no position to make that kind of a judgment.

“Masamune’s not that kind of person. We split everything.”

“Even his tuition.”

“His family pays for his education,” Kojuro didn’t try to hide the fact that he was defensive.

“Kagetsuna, I can tell that you really love this boy, but love is blind. I once dated a girl who was five years younger than me. Before I knew it she’d taken all my money and left me for someone richer. He’ll take what he needs from you and leave once you’re out of resources.”

“It’s not like that.’’ Kojuro insisted. “He pays for his own things. He makes a fuss if I try to buy anything for him.”

“Just be careful. I don’t want to see this tramp take everything you have.”

“He’s not a tramp.” Kojuro knows he failed at keeping calm in moments like these. After everything they have both gone through, he no longer took comments like that laying down, especially not when they were directed at Masamune. His voice would have been a hiss because his words should had came out through gritted teeth as he barely kept his voice and anger in check. Instead, he kept his voice as even as possible. 

“Sorry,” Dad apologized. “I’m serious, though. I know younger seems better. Bouncy personality, a lot of energy, smooth skin, amazing recovery and curiosity when it comes to…”

“Dad, stop.” Kojuro flushed pink as he realized where this conversation was going.

“Sorry. All I’m saying is it’s tempting to go for, but you have to think about what will benefit you more in the long run. Sure it’s nice to have a lover but…”

“We’ve been together for almost three years. If he was only after money, I would know.”

“Three years?” Dad sputtered. “You said things were just starting to get serious?”

“It’s complicated,” Kojuro said. “We were on and off for a bit, we just moved in with each other in the last year.”

“Slow and steady,” He nodded in approval. “But sticking together like that after everything. Did something happen in between or…?”

“What makes you ask?” Kojuro glanced at his dad starting to scramble the eggs.

“You took a long time to tell us.”

“Kita knew.”

“But you normally you tell your mother first.”

“I did tell Mom about him first.”

“But Kita got the f.y.i about where things were going with the two of you.”

“We hit a rough patch in the first two years. After I didn’t want to tell you guys because of the obvious. The age gap was a big problem when we first started together. There was a lot of stuff going on at that time, and there was never a good time to tell you guys.”

“Stuff?”

Kojuro was quiet as he turned on the coffee as he added a few more eggs to the skillet. He was debating on if he was going to say anything.

“It’s a long story.” He finally found himself saying.

“I understand,” Dad gave him a pat on the back. “Just don’t let this kid dance circles around you, okay? He seems pretty smart. Your mother and I don’t want to see you getting hurt over this.”

“I won’t,” Kojuro said putting the last few thing together for breakfast.

“I smelled food,” Kita suddenly came around the corner. “Is breakfast done?”

“Almost. Is Mom up?” Kojuro asked.

“She’s on her way. Where’s Masamune?”

“He was going to make breakfast, but I told him I would. He’ll probably be down soon.”

“He seemed kind of nervous last night,” Kita lowered her voice but there was an edge to it as she made direct eye contact with Dad. “Poor thing must be overwhelmed meeting everyone at once.”

“He seemed okay when we first brought up meeting everyone, but he wasn’t himself last night. I don’t think he realized what it meant when I said you guys would be staying.”

“He’s quite a catch,” Kita waggled an eyebrow, making her younger brother blush before she smiled and said, “He seems nice enough.”

“Kojuro, you’re not going to agree?” Masamune picked now of all time to come downstairs.

“Good morning to you too,” Kojuro smiled.

“Talking around the subject, but it’s okay.” He said going to his side to take out the plates. “I understand that you’re embarrassed to say it in front of your family.”

“He’s always been the bashful one,” Kita agreed.

Great, he was getting along with Kita of all people, but at least someone seemed to be on his side. His dad was shaking his head as they sat down to eat. His mom came a bit later once she had freshened up.

“So, the plans for today?” Kita asked.

“I don’t have anything planned,” Kojuro said honestly. “Do you guys still need to get unpacked?”

“No, we’re only going to be here for a few weeks, so it wouldn’t really make sense to unpack everything.” Kita rolled her eyes to emphasize how ridiculous the idea was.

“You don’t have any decorations up yet,” Mom pointed out. “We should start setting up the tree.”

“We don’t have any holiday decorations,” Kojuro admitted, scratching the back of his neck.

“This is our first time spending the holiday in our own place,” Masamune added. “What about that fake tree you had in your apartment? The small one you had in your window.”

“That’s not a real tree,” Kojuro corrected.

“Yeah, but it’s a start,” Masamune shrugged picking over his food.

“We’ll just have to get you some,” Mom said. “You guys can’t be without decorations for the holiday season.”

“You don’t have to,” Kojuro said. “I can…”

“No, no. I have to. Where are the department stores around here?”

“Mom…”

“I’ll take her,” Masamune offered. “It’s not that far from here.”

“You sure?” Kojuro was surprised that Masamune was offering to go off with his mother.

“Yeah, it’s just Christmas shopping,” Masamune said. “It could be fun.”

“See’s he’s getting into the holiday spirit,” Mom smiled pointing to Masamune.

“You guys can have fun with that,” Kojuro snickered. He wasn’t sure why Masamune had suddenly decided to go one-on-one with his mother, but if he thought he could handle it, then he wouldn’t interfere.

After breakfast, the two left. Kojuro sighed watching them go. He was nervous and wondered if Masamune would be alright. At the same time, he was worried what stories his mother would be telling without him there to stop her. He doubts that she would voice the same concern to Masamune that his dad has to him. Either way, he hoped for the best.

“Don’t worry,” Kita said. “Mom won’t be too hard on him.”

“I know, but…”

“Stop worrying about it,” Kita said.  “So, give us a full tour of this fancy house of yours.”

“It’s not fancy,” Kojuro said. “But sure, I’ll show you around.”

~.~.~.~.~

“How many ornaments?” Mom mused aloud.

“Wouldn’t that depend on how big the tree is?” Masamune asked as Mom looked through the different decorations.

“Not necessarily. We also have to decorate the house. Mainly the living room.” She said, “And you guys have a big living room.”

“True,” Masamune agreed. He was also rummaging through the boxed of decorations. “Honestly, I have no idea what I’m doing. My mom always decorated the house without us. She didn’t want us to get in the way, but she saved the tree for the family to do together.”

“Well you get to help this time,” She smiled proudly putting more stuff in the chart. “So, you and Kagetsuna? You guys doing well?”

“Yeah, we’re doing fine. It took us a while to get used to living with each other, but things went back to normal after a while.”

“But you’re so much younger than him.” She suddenly said. “I mean, wouldn’t you rather be with someone around your own age?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I love him the way he is. Age doesn’t really matter to us, we never thought of it as something that should keep us from being together.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I mean, we already get looks when we’re out together, because of the obvious. After a while, we just realized people were going to judge us no matter what. I’m an adult. I can make my own decisions and choose who I want to be with. So what if he’s a bit older? I love him.”

“I see.”

“You don’t like that I’m with him?”

“No more than I would be if you were the same age, but I am curious as to how you guys came to be. Or why Kojuro said yes to someone so young. It’s a bit out of character to take that kind of risk.”

“I must be special.” He mused proudly. His ego inflating from his own words. “I don’t plan on making him regret it if that’s what you’re worried about. I want to stay with him, for as long as possible.”

“As long as possible? How long have you been together?”

“Almost three years,” Masamune said proudly.

“That long?” She was surprised.

“Yup.”

“Well, as long as he’s happy.” She said. “What do you plan on doing after your education is over? I don’t think you mentioned it at dinner,” She changed the subject.

“I’m not really sure yet.” He lied. “Haven’t thought about much after the internship.”

“So, do you plan on not going to work right away, taking a break?”

“I wish. I couldn’t let Kojuro pay all the bills,” Masamune said.  “He’s always trying to spoil me, but I would feel bad if I wasn’t pulling my own weight.”

She smiled at that.

“What’s the difference between these two lights? They’re the same length and colors.”

“This twinkle.” Mom explained pointing out the writing on the box.

“I thought they all twinkled.”

“No, most do, but not all.”

“I see. Do you think we should get hooks so we can hang lights through the hallway?”

“Can we?” She beamed. “That’s a good idea.”

Masamune grinned putting more lights in the cart. He was very excited about being able to decorate this year. Beforehand, he always told himself that it didn’t really interest him, and therefore didn’t go out of his way to do it. Now he was more than into it. Maybe it was because there were other people who were with him this year.

Not to say he and Kojuro never spent the holiday together before this, but they normally stayed at the older man’s apartment. As mentioned before, the small tree was there. It was probably the single decoration there, but it was still something.

“Lawn decorations?” Masamune mused. “Kojuro is going to kill me.” He was already picking up one of the snowmen.

“You sure we’re not going over budget?” Mom asked.

“It’s fine. I got it,” Masamune waved it off. He peeked over to where she was looking at a set of glasses. The rims were delicately covered in snowflakes as if they had a thin layer of frost on them. “Do you want them?”

“Oh, no. They’re way too expensive.”  

Masamune leaned over looking at them. “They’re not that pricey. Besides,” he was putting them in the cart. What are the odds of seeing this kind of set again?”

“You don’t have to.” She said.

“Think of it as an early gift then.” He smiled. “I’m telling you, it’s fine.”

She was too taken aback to fight more. She hadn’t known him for more than a few hours, and yet he was buying her something so expensive. Then again, he may just be trying to get on her good side. She shouldn’t have questioned him so early. She should have let him get confident in their standing first before she started to ask questions.

“Hey,” The cashier smiled at them as she rang them up. “Haven’t seen your ugly face around here in a while.”

“Nice to see you too Itsuki,” He didn’t seem offended at all. He actually smirked at the girl.

“You know I’m joking.” She smiled.

“Yeah yeah.” He rolled his eye swiping his credit card.

“You been good?”

“As good as I can be,” He said ideally as he put in his pin number. “Don’t overwork yourself, kid.”

“I won’t.” The girl smiled as she handed him the receipt.

Mom was still in shock from the total, and that Masamune had just paid it like it was nothing. It confirmed her suspicion. Between the price, and his comment on how Kojuro was going to kill him for this. Maybe somewhere deep down he was a good kid, but looking at the way they lived she was sure he was using Kojuro for money.

She worked hard at covering up her disgust as they went to leave.

“Mr. Date,” Itsuki called. “You forgot a bag.”

“Shit,” Masamune cursed turning around. “Thank you.” He bowed before taking the bag. “That was close.”

“Date?” Mom asked. “As in Date Masamune?”

“Yeah,” Masamune said. “…did he not tells you my full name?”

“It’s nothing.” She tried to brush it off. She was having an inner conflict at this point. If this man was who she thought he was, then that would mean…But Kojuro wasn’t like that. There was no way he would do something as underhanded at that. Yet she was questioning herself, and her son’s intentions. There was no way he would. She had raised him better than that.

**TBC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient while my beta and I try to get this as close to perfect as possible. I hope you like how this is going so far, trust me, I'm just skimming the surface of what is to come.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Masamune gets into the holiday spirit, and Kojuro gets confronted by his mom.

“You’re back,” Kojuro smiled at Mom and Masamune when they entered the house. “I just finished making lunch.”

“Awesome, because there are a lot of bags, and I could use some help getting everything in,” Masamune beamed.

“How much did you get?” Kojuro asked, putting on his shoes.

“Enough to turn this place into a winter wonderland.”

Kojuro shook his head. It took a few trips back and forth, even when Dad jumped in to help.

“What is all this?” Kojuro asked hands on hips.

“I told you, we’re turning the house into a winter wonderland.”

“Lawn decorations?”

“We can do the whole driveway!” Masamune’s eye was lit up, and all Kojuro could do was smile. He hadn’t ever seen Masamune get excited over any holiday or the events surroundings it. He wasn’t sure where the change of heart was coming from, but he was all for it.

“So I take it we’re getting a tree this year?”

“Yes!”

“Come on, let’s get these in the living room, so they’re not in the way,” Kojuro started to move the bags.

“We should pick out a tree tomorrow, or, maybe today so we can have it up before Christmas Eve,” Masamune was practically bouncing behind him. “How about after lunch?”

“You just got back in.”

“The sooner the better right?”

Meanwhile, Mom and Dad were whispering about something in the other room. Dad’s eyes widened a bit, and he shook his head as he scowled. Mom nodded adding something else in a low voice.

“I highly doubt it,” Dad said.

“It’s still a possibility. “

“No. Not Kagetsuna.”

“It’s the only way any of this makes sense, and why he took so long to tell us.” She reasoned.

“You gonna talk to him about it?”

She gave him a look.

“Right. I’ll be there as well.”

“Do you want to come when we pick out a tree?” Kojuro asked as he came in for the last box. “Masamune wants to go after lunch.”

“Sure sweetheart.” She smiled. It didn’t reach her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Kojuro raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing, nothing.” She said. “What makes you think that?”

“You guys were whispering, so…”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Kita finally came from down stair curious about all the noise. Also, the smell of food had caught her attention.

“We’re picking out a tree after lunch,” Mom said.

“Really? I thought you guys would have just gotten a fake tree while you were out.”

“Isn’t it better to pick it out together?” Mom asked.

Kojuro smiled as the conversation continued. He was still a bit worried about whatever happened while Mom was out with Masamune, but it was in the back of his mind now. He preferred to think positively as he watched them interact. Even Dad was starting to take a liking to Masamune. He had even let him help cut down the tree.

“I’m not sure what you did to get him into this, but thank you,” Kojuro said to Mom. “I’ve never seen him this excited over anything.”

“I’m not sure if it was me,” She said.

“So, do you approve of him yet?” He smiled seeing Masamune grin at him once the tree was finally down.

“He seems alright. Nothing really malicious about him. He acts like a child really.”

“Oh,” Kojuro frowned at her tone.

“Not in a bad way,” She reassured him.

“Then…” He knew that Mom always said things for a reason. He was nervous about what she meant by that.

“Later,” She waved it off. “Let’s just enjoy this.”

“Kojuro, look at it!” Masamune called to him, and motioned towards the tree, “It’s huge!”

“Are you sure it’s going to fit through the door?” Kojuro raised an eyebrow.

Masamune actually paused and looked back at the tree. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

He was right - it fit through the door and in the living room perfectly. He had to hand it to Mom and Masamune, the house really was starting to look like a winter wonderland as promised. Kita was helping out as well now. After the tree had been set up, they had gone straight to decorating. He couldn’t make out what they were talking about, but he could tell they were in high spirits. He didn’t bother to go into the room unless they called for his help.

In the meantime, he was sitting in the kitchen with his father as he heated up the leftovers for dinner. He figured he’d warm them up so that everyone could come and get some as they pleased.

“Are you going to tell me what you and Mom have been whispering about?”

“Later. She just wants to talk to you.”

“Are you guys still worried about…”

“Your mother has different concerns.” Dad cut him off. “It’s nothing serious, though. Just normal worries and such.”

“You’re not going to even try and throw me a bone on this one?”

“She wants to wait until she’s able to talk to you. I plan on respecting her wishes and not saying anything until she’s here as well.”

“Is it that bad?” Kojuro’s mind was racing. Maybe Masamune said something that he shouldn’t have while he was out with her. He doubted that: Masamune knew when to hold his tongue. He knew how to give proper answers even when the question was meant to throw him off guard. In this situation, he didn’t think there was a way for him to give a wrong answer. If Masamune was speaking openly and sincerely then there shouldn’t have been any problem. There should be no reason for Mom to disapprove of anything.

But there was no point in worrying over it right now. That’s what he told himself, but it didn’t put his mind at ease. He wouldn’t calm down until they had this conversation. Maybe he shouldn’t be being so pessimistic. Maybe it was something good! Yeah! That could be an option if it hadn’t been for the way they were whispering before.

“Are you going to help with the tree?” Masamune poked his head out addressing the both Kojuro and Dad.

“I thought it’s already up?” Dad said.

“Yeah, but it’s not decorated,” Masamune gave a small smile as his gaze shifted between the two men.

“We’ll be right there,” Kojuro said turning the stove off. Dad sighed. He was a bit reluctant to get out of his spot. He had just gotten comfortable, but he didn’t mind moving. He was curious to see what they had done with the living room. Mom always went all out, and there was no telling what she would do with a bigger budget.

The living room, had indeed, been turned into a winter wonderland. There were snowflakes on the ceiling and lights around the perimeter of the room. Smaller decorations such as little snowmen and statuettes of kids playing in snow lined the mantle of the fireplace. There were also smaller fake trees in different corners of the room.

“It’s coming along nicely,” Kojuro looking around in awe. “I didn’t think you would get so much done so quickly.”

“Never underestimate the dragon!” Masamune grinned back at him. That comment was lost on everyone but Kojuro, who made no move to explain it. Kojuro kneeled down next to him to help start unpacking the boxes of ornaments. There were more than enough to cover the tree. Kojuro had to remind himself not to let Masamune and Mom go shopping together. There was way more stuff left over than could ever fit in this one living room.

“There is more than one room to this house, and let’s not forget the hallways!” Masamune reminded him.

Kojuro didn’t stop the smile that formed on his lips. He doesn’t think he had ever seen Masamune enjoy himself this much over a holiday. Normally, he would lose his spark. Kojuro had asked him about it on multiple occasions, but Masamune always said he didn’t want to talk about it, and Kojuro respected his decision. It was refreshing to see. Kojuro’s smile brought a blush to his partner’s cheeks, and he looked away.

“Shit,” Masamune cursed and Kojuro winced. Not in front of his parents! He had told Masamune not to use profanities when his parents were about, right? Or maybe it slipped his mind. “We forgot to do the grocery shopping for Christmas dinner. The store is going to be packed tomorrow.”

“I brought supplies,” Mom said. “We’re imposing on you so I’ll make the meal.”

“Really?” Masamune looked at Kojuro for confirmation.

“She never lets anyone cook,” Kita said.

Masamune chuckled a bit watching the way both the siblings seemed to pout. At the same time, he looked relieved. It meant he wouldn’t have to do much of anything, though he would still offer his services. It was only polite.

“We should have brought the family ornaments!” Mom said. “Kojuro has the cutest teddy bear on his. You would have loved to see it! Speaking of that,” she didn’t give Masamune enough time to respond to the last part. “Do you have any holiday traditions? I wouldn’t want to shaft anything that is important to you.”

Masamune tensed, but only in the slightest. Kojuro is pretty sure he was the only one to pick up on it. His jaw tightened the slightest bit, and his lip quirked in a display of discomfort. Kojuro found this to be odd. Masamune had said before that he wasn’t big on holidays, and that he rarely celebrated them. Maybe he was embarrassed because he didn’t have a tradition. Then again it never seemed to bother him before.

Some people enjoyed not doing much on a holiday. Masamune had never made a big deal over his seeming lack of traditions. Not too long ago he seemed tired at the idea of making a holiday meal - he never liked the idea of celebrating the holidays. Kojuro used to have to ask him to spend the day with him because Masamune didn’t see the significance in doing so.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Masamune said.

“Are you sure? I know that you said your mother used to be the one to decorate,” She said.

“I’m sure. My family was never that big on celebrations and stuff like that. We opened presents and eat dinner.” The lie came so smoothly from his lips. Kojuro was taken aback when he heard it. There was a small change in his voice and a certain way that his posture changed that Kojuro picked up on.

“Then I guess we’re going to have to show you a good time!”

“I like your mom,” Masamune said, turning to Kojuro. “Can we keep her?”

Kojuro laughed, everyone laughed - except for Masamune, who may be serious. Kojuro thinks he is, and still found himself chuckling. Things were going well, and Masamune was getting along well with the family. He was at ease around them, which was a good sign.

“Maybe I’ll stick around for a while,” Mom said. “You have a beautiful home, and the town is lovely. I wouldn’t mind staying a bit longer.”

“Really? We could show you around Oshu! It sucks when its snows, ‘cause we get a lot of it, but it can be nice here this time of year.”

So he was serious?

“Well, I’m staying until New Years, so I’m sure that after Christmas you’ll be able to show me around.”

Masamune had forgotten about that part! He then started to go on and on about the things around town. He grew up here so he knew of all the right places to go, and where to look to have fun! He was the one who helped Kojuro become familiar with the town years ago. That had been a little bit before they had started dating.

Kita smiled at Kojuro.

“They’re hitting it off,” she said in a low voice so to not disrupt the conversation that was taking place.

“I know, I’m glad. I was starting to think she didn’t like him,” Kojuro admitted with a sigh.

“He seems alright, so I don’t see why she wouldn’t.”

“You know why.”

“I think she got over it quickly. If she didn’t like him, she wouldn’t try and hide her displeasure for him. Remember when you brought Sasuke home?”

“How could I forget that?”

He was nineteen, in his second year of college and got stuck with a late night bio class. His lab partner had been Sarutobi Sasuke. They both had no idea what they were doing in this class: the first grade they got on their lab was something they both agreed not to talk about. Anyways, long story short, they ended up dating halfway through the semester. At the time, Kojuro thought they would be together for a long time and introduced Sasuke to his family over spring break of his second semester.

Mom had disapproved of him. To this day, Kojuro is sure that the cold treatment from the family is one of the factors that caused Sasuke to break up with him. His mother didn’t try to hide her disdain for him. The only one who seemed to tolerate him was Kita. Kojuro would, later on, apologize for bringing him. He hadn’t expected his family to be so hostile.

It’s why he was on guard now. He didn’t want the same thing to happen to Masamune. Though the other man did just fine under pressure, but he couldn’t help but worry.

“But if you need help in the kitchen, I don’t mind helping.” They had changed subjects while Kojuro had been reminiscing.

“I’m telling you, it’s fine dear.” Mom said.

“If you change your mind you can just come get me and I’ll be happy to help.”

“I’ll only be calling you if I have trouble finding something in your kitchen.”

“Fine, fine,” Masamune smiled at the woman’s stubbornness. So that’s where Kojuro gets it from?

“It looks beautiful.” Mom gushed taking in the sight of the living room. They had finally run out of decorations. It looked like something out of a Hallmark card. This room had become Christmas, and it made Masamune smile. His lip quirked upwards the way it does when he’s trying not to grin from ear to ear.

In the end, only Kita and Dad has some of the curry. It looked like it was going to last another day. Kojuro helped Masamune clean up the kitchen one last time as the others headed for bed. Well, Kita headed for bed. He had forgotten that his parents had said that they wanted to talk to him until he notices that they were still lingering in the living room. He told Masamune to go to bed without him and that he would be right there. Masamune agreed easily: he must not have sensed the mood.

“You said you wanted to talk?” He said stepping into the living room. He knew this was some sort of a trap. He wasn’t sure in what way, but he still knew. He still couldn’t see what Mom didn’t like about Masamune. She hadn’t said it, but why else would she want to talk after everything? They had been getting along just a few moments ago. She could have changed her mind in that short amount of time.

“You didn’t tell me that his surname is Date,” Mom started out simple.

“I didn’t think it mattered.” Kojuro couldn’t see where this was going, but he should have.

“So he’s rich?”

“Yes. He comes from a wealthy family,” He was starting to piece things together. Part of it was his own fault for forgetting that Date was a household name. They were known for their wealth. They weren't celebrities. People weren't able to recognize them at a glance, but if you heard their name, you knew who they were.

“And he’s pretty young to boot.”

“It’s only ten years between us.” Wow, that sounded wrong, even to his own ears. It’s only ten years. When he got put in the spotlight like this, it felt like a lifetime. It was something that always unsettled him when he was put on the spot like this.

“Let’s get to the point,” Dad said. He wanted to go to bed. “You found yourself a little sugar daddy.”

“That’s not how it is.” Kojuro protested. Why would they even think that? Why would their first assumption be the worst possible opinion of him?

“Please,” Mom interrupted. “Please tell me you’re not with him because of his money. He seems like a good kid. I don’t want to see him hurt like this.” All her concern was geared towards Masamune now. Even as she spoke, it didn’t seem like she was aware of her own son’s emotional status.

“You think I would do something like that?”

“I’m not sure. I never expected you to be with anyone that….young. You guys are on two separate stages of life. He just seems so trusting of you, and…you’re not using him for money are you?” Her voice was laced in the mom tone. That tone when they want you to feel guilty about what you did, and it was working.

“No. I didn’t even know he was rich when we first met. That didn’t come up until a few months later.”

“You went that long without knowing he was rich?” Dad snickered. “If that didn’t sound like bullshit then I don’t know what does.”

“I didn’t ask him how much his father makes a year on our first date. It didn’t come up until we were looking to move in together and….”

“This is his house isn’t it?” Mom sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. It was starting to sound like her son was a kept man.

“One of them yes.”

“And he pays all the bills?”

“Right now I’m the one who pays for most of them since he still in school.”

“Really? Because he seems to have a lot of money on him.”

“It’s something about the way his trust fund is set up. He has an allowance. His dad only lets him take out a certain amount at a time.”

“I’m sure.”

“You really think, I would be with someone this long just for their money?”

“At least you get a sweet deal out of it,” Dad said. He seemed alright with the idea. “Nice house, set for life. You could retire early, vacation early, then come home to that young little….”

“It’s not like that!” Kojuro cut him off. “Why is it so hard to believe that I actually love him! I went to college where everyone was rich during my grad school years and I didn’t bring one of them back home, didn’t date any of them. I know he’s younger than me, and the age difference makes it seem odd, but I’m not here for the money.”

Mom was quiet. Her husband had gone a bit far in his explanation, but Kojuro was standing very firm on his side of the story. She had never seen him so aggressive over anything. It’s what was making her think that he was lying. His face was red and his lips were pursed together. For now, she would let it drop. She fears that she may have spoken too soon, and that Kojuro would do his best to not look like a gold-digger while in her presence.

She pitied Masamune.

“I trust you to make the right decision,” She finally said.

“Thank you.” What was that supposed to mean? “I’m going to bed. “I’ll see you guys in the morning.”

He mounted the stairs, praying that Masamune was already asleep, or that by some miracle he hadn’t heard. He was starting to feel sick. He knew it wasn’t actually his stomach. He had this sickness before. He would get nauseous and exhausted. His head would start to hurt and he wouldn’t want to think about anything. He just wanted to lay down.

But Masamune was there waiting for him. His mouth was open as if he was going to say something, but he stopped and his face soon showed his worry. He asked what happened, and Kojuro was relieved - so he didn’t hear anything.

“Seriously, what’s wrong,” Masamune was more concerned when he didn’t answer him.

“It’s nothing,” Kojuro said closing the door to their room.

“They finally came out and said they don’t like me.”

“No, Mom adores you. She’s become very protective of you over a very short amount of time. It’s impressive really.” He said sitting down on the foot of the bed as he started to take off his shirt so he could go to lay down. “Anyone else she would be working at trying to intimidate by now. “

“Ha! I passed the mom test with flying colors!” He put his hands on his hips and puffed his chest out like he was some sort of superhero.

Kojuro couldn’t help but laugh at Masamune’s antics. He was always so animated, so full of life, so young…And just like that, he felt that sick feeling return. His smile dropped and so did Masamune’s.

“What’s wrong?” Masamune’s voice was always gentle when it came to dealing with him. He knew these moods well, he just didn’t know what he got like this. Yet, he stayed by his side until it passed.

Now they were in bed, and Kojuro was laying so he wasn’t facing him. He was curled up on the farthest side of the bed. Masamune called out to him after a bit of time passed with Kojuro laying like that. He asked if it was uncomfortable. He got no answer.

“I guess you’re asleep,” He sighed. They both knew he wasn’t. Masamune settled down after a while. He decided to try and get some sleep.

**TBC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Kojuro :(
> 
> We're just getting started with Kojuro and his backstory. The next few chapters are going to focus on him and his past before we jump back to the present and deal with Masamune stuff and the family. But it is to come is gonna pretty deep! A lot of the tags are going to apply to the next few chapters so this is a bit of a forewarning.
> 
> Thanks for reading. I hope to see you next time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kojuro starts to reflect on what his parents said to him, and it starts to remind him of things he rather forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First part of Kojuro's back story. It's a bit different from my other stories because I hardly ever write from Kojuro's point of view. His first relationship is mentioned here so I got to write Kojuro like a love sick teenager, which is always fun ^o^  
> Warning:  
> Hate Crimes  
> Homophobia

Kojuro’s mind was in a haze: he hadn’t felt this way in so long! It was dizzying. No, it was worse than before. So even his parents thought what everyone else was saying? He knew that he would have to get over what other thought of them being together, but…the way his mother and father talked shook him up more than anything else.

They thought he was taking advantage of Masamune. They thought he was just using him for money and reaping the benefits of a good lay. Mom had looked so disappointed in him and worried for Masamune’s wellbeing.

They talked about him as if he were a predator.

Kojuro had known he had an interest in men since he was younger, but he never felt the need to announce it to anyone. His hadn’t “come out” to his parents. They had figured it out along the way and never drew much attention to it. He was grateful for that because the kids at school had drawn enough attention to it.

He wasn’t sure how they had figured it out. Maybe it was because he tried to kiss Hanbei, and he told all the other kids. He learned that no matter how young they were, people were monsters. They experienced joy from watching others suffer. They had been relentless in their teasing: they colored his desk pink and did the same to his locker. He couldn’t walk the hallways without someone making an obscene joke about him.  

He told himself that he could handle it. He didn’t need to tell his parents about it.

It wasn’t until he had gotten to high school when things got bad. For a lot of people, gay is synonymous with pedophile. He ignored it at the time. It was a hard three years of school. His locker was constantly vandalized, along with his desk. He got into more than one fight when the other boys had tried to jump him. His gym class always made a big deal about being in the locker room with him.

Then, in his third year, he had a crush on one of the first years on the gymnastic team. His name was Kenshin. He was a soft-spoken guy, but when he opened his mouth, wow! He was intelligent, kind, and just amazing! And even more amazing, he liked Kojuro as well.

It took Kojuro a while to come to that conclusion. They had talked for a bit at Sports Night, an exposé for all the sports club. He’d been adamant about getting the younger man to play baseball with the team: Kenshin declined and said he intended to sign up for the gymnastic team. The baseball team had taken note of the exchange.

Like Kenshin, Kojuro often tended to be soft spoken. He was talkative as a child, but the lack of positive interaction in middle school rendered him quiet. Every time he opened his mouth, he only ever revived ridicule. So why speak at all?

But he had been excited to speak to Kenshin. He went out of his way to get the man’s attention and tell him about their club. It was the first time his team had seen him smile, and laugh at whatever Kenshin was saying. It was so obvious that he was flirting, and even more obvious that Kenshin was flirting back.

Kenshin was the first friend that Kojuro had in a while. The other man had spotted him eating lunch alone and sat with him. Kojuro had been speechless at the time. Kenshin smiled softly and greeted him asking if he could sit down. Kojuro found himself nodding dumbly. He was entranced by this man!

They hung out outside of school. They often walked home together because of how late club activities got out. It was nice to just have someone to talk to again. It’s why he stopped outwardly flirting. He wanted to keep Kenshin around a bit longer. He liked having a friend! Kenshin was the one to make the first move.

“You should come see me during my competition,” Kenshin had said one day. “I think I’m gonna make it to the championships.”

“Wow! It’s only your first year and you’re representing our school?” Kojuro was in awe, but he always was when it came to Kenshin.

“Yeah. I didn’t think I would make it this far, but here I am.”

“You earned it: you’ve trained harder than anyone else on your team, and you’re really good at what you do. You’re a natural, really.”

Kenshin’s blush was always beautiful and was accompanied with a small smile. Kojuro smiled back, but his heart was beating out of his chest. He wanted to say that he liked him, and ask him out on a date, but the words would get stuck in his throat. Later he would be grateful for it.

 _Don’t fuck this up_. He kept repeating this to himself.

But then, Kenshin slipped his hands in his as they were walking. His body reacted all at once. His cheeks became inflamed and his eyes widen. His whole body tensed. As silly as it seemed, this was his first time in this kind of situation, and he wasn’t sure what to do. Worse, his reaction had made Kenshin think that his actions were unwanted and he pulled his hand away as quickly as possible.

He fucked it up.

Kenshin had parted ways so he could catch his bus. Kojuro waved goodbye as he left. He found himself standing on the train station platform for a long time. He wouldn’t have a chance at redemption, would he? The thought plagued him on the way home. He was so frustrated with himself! All he had to do was relax and hold his hand back, or give it a light squeeze or even just smile back at Kenshin.

So he dragged himself to school the next day. He was broken hearted, and it was his own fault. Yet, Kenshin still sat with him at lunch, still talked to him as if things were normal between them.  

“I’m sorry about yesterday.” Kenshin looked down as he spoke. They were in the locker room getting ready to go home. They were both still half dressed. “I thought that you were putting out signals, and decided to make a move. I didn’t mean to make things awkward between us.”

“It’s fine.” _Keep going! You only have one last chance! You wanted redemption so now you got it! Say something._ “I was, ya know, putting out signals. I just…I’ve never been with anyone. I wasn’t expecting you to hold my hand. I didn’t mean to overreact.” He glanced at Kenshin as he spoke. His eyes darted from the other man to his locker.

“Really?” Kenshin’s whole face brightened up and he was looking directly at Kojuro who gulped.

“Yes, I like you. I like you a lot.”

Kenshin was his first kiss. Their teeth knocked together and their noses bumped because the angle they came at each other was awkward, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Kenshin’s lips were soft, he would always remember that. They were so smooth and inviting. He lifted one of his hands to cup a side of Kenshin’s face. The other man leaned into the touch and continued to kiss him as Kojuro's thumb stroking his cheek.

“Katakura-san, these bus schedules look kind of weird,” Another one of the third years had walked in at this point. They both looked up in embarrassment. There was no point in saying anything to try and make this look better.

Things went downhill from there.

Rumors spread fast. The next day he heard five different versions of the affair that was happening between him and Kenshin. The general consensus was that he had taken advantage of the other man in the locker room, that he’d been blackmailing him into dating him, among other things. This time, he was starting to receive notes and death threats. The school heard about some of the details and questioned Kenshin. Of course, Kenshin told them the truth, and the school backed off.

It left Kojuro as a sitting duck. Their words were obscene, and their notes were worse. He kept quiet and dealt with things as they came. Notes could be thrown away, and insults could be ignored. What bothered him the most were the things said by the more hostile groups. Supposedly Kenshin looked young for his age. They were calling him a pedophile, again, not like it ever stopped before, but it was more common now.

And the things they were saying he was doing, and will do, made him sick! He tried to forget it, but they haunt his thoughts. He starts having trouble sleeping around this time. His mind was plagued because what if they were right? They couldn’t be. He would never do something that disgusting! But what if it was just something that happened over time? He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if that was the case.

Needless to say, he couldn’t bring himself to go to Kenshin’s gymnastic meet. He couldn’t even face the other man. He spent the rest of the year avoiding him. It was for the best. Kenshin took the hint and didn’t seek him out, but his classmates did.

They believed that he really had abused Kenshin and that the school was letting him get away with it. The other students took things into their own hands. Kojuro was used to getting into fights. He could end them quickly and not get caught. It’s was part of the reason his parents never found out about any of this. However, this time, there were twenty guys maybe more.

He knew he didn’t stand a chance, but he fought anyway. They had caught him on his way out of the locker room after practice. They cornered him and roughed him up. It wasn’t until he landed a hit that things got serious: they had forgotten that Kojuro might be able to fight back. If they were going to take him down, then they had to do it quickly, and they needed to make sure he wouldn’t be able to get back up.

One managed to get a hold on him from behind to hold him in place. It was a slaughter from there. Blow after blow landed all over his body. They were taking turns now, and he could barely see. His face was swollen and bloody. Everything on him hurt! He heard a snap somewhere, and he thought it was his chest. He was greeted by blinding pain in his ribs a few seconds later to confirm his suspicions.

All the while everyone was jeering and cheering. This is what he deserved, they were heroes for doing what the school would not. They called him by name, by what he was. They called him out on what had done. These words assaulted him the same way as the blows, maybe more. In the beginning, he thought to beg for mercy, pleaded for them to stop, but he knew there would be no point to it. He denied everything they accused him of, but no one listened.

He screamed again, but this time, they stopped. The realization that they had gone too far settled over the crowd. Someone would have an answer for those broken bones. Kojuro slumped in the other persons hold. His legs were no longer able to keep him standing. Blood and saliva dripped from his mouth. Tears streamed down his face as he shook and shivered.

“Fuck! Is he dead?” One female asked. He couldn’t see them but he could hear them.

“He had it coming.” Another said.

“What should we do?”

“Burry him! If someone finds the body...”

“His parents will be looking for him, you idiot!”

“Why would anyone even want this guy for a son? After everything he’s done!”

“We should leave him out for display.”

“Are you crazy? We’ll get caught!

“A dead man can’t talk. As long as we clean up we’ll be fine. Let’s drag him outside. Break the cameras as you go.”

“Dude, why does it sound like you’ve done this before?”

From there he was dragged, stripped and tied up outside. Things were in high spirits again. Everyone was joyous and cheering, and Kojuro didn’t have the strength to protest. He was kicked a few more times now that he was tied and after that, he doesn’t remember anything.

He only lucked out because his parents got worried. He isn’t the kind to stay out late, and not at least call home. Lucky still, his parents had a good standing in the community and were able to rally the police to look for him without much trouble. They found him on the school sports field. That was about when he woke up.

The first responders jostled him too much while trying to undo the ropes. The pain had woken him.

He was taken to the hospital where he was cleaned and patched up. Apparently, the kids had written on him, but the medics had cleaned him up. He wasn’t told what it said, but it was enough to warrant what happened to him as a hate crime. It didn’t matter because he couldn’t remember names and faces. There had been so many, and everything had happened so quickly.

He told the police this once he was out of recovery and able to speak coherently. They said they would question him again when he was feeling better.

“Kagetsuna!” His mom’s voice was clear when she entered the room.

“Mommy!” He was seventeen years old and crying for his mommy! Really? But he couldn’t help it. His arms reached out for her from his spot in the hospital bed. She hugged him careful of his injuries. She kissed the top of his head crying in relief.

“I was so worried,” She pulled away to look at him. Kojuro was crying as well at this point. “What happened?”

He wanted to tell her that he didn’t know and that he wasn’t sure why this happened. He didn’t even remember what happened before or how he got here! Instead, he started to recite back what had been going on since middle school, up to the part about Kenshin, and the rumors and the taunting, all the way until now.

She cried through the whole tale.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Dad asked.        

He fell silent and looked away from them. He didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

**TBC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not done with Kojuro just yet. I think it's one or two more chapters of backstory for Kojuro before we get to the present. It's just really long so I have to break it up.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kojuro continues to reflect on the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're still in Kojuro's flashback. This chapter we get to see how Kojuro and Masamune met.

Kojuro transferred to a private school after the incident, where he would graduate. There was still an open investigation as to what happened, but Kojuro was sincere when he said that he wasn’t sure who attacked him; it was all a blur, and it had been dark. He only remembered a few things in quick instances when he would get a memory or two back, or in the form of night terrors.

But life moves on. He wasn’t going to allow this to set him back. He made it into his reach school, and that was where he met Sasuke. The relationship was still something he could think back fondly of. It was the same way he could still think of Kenshin and feel happiness blossom in his chest. But then he would start to remember what happened, and why, and he would have to think of something else to calm down.

It was okay though. He was doing okay. He graduated from college, and he was working while he was working on his Master's Degree.  He moved out of his parents’ house so he could be closer to work. He had a small apartment that was just the right size for him, with affordable rent, and tolerable neighbors. His work hours were mostly agreeable, and he didn’t have to worry too much about it interfering with his schooling.

By the time he was done with grad school he was well established in the Accounting department of the company he worked at. He had risen in the ranks, and was sometimes sought out by other companies to join them. He was renowned in his field. He thought of freelancing for a bit, but decided against it. He was loyal to the company who had first hired him.

He was used to the routine he had from day to day. Weekends were meant for sleeping, unless one of his friends could talk him into going out with them. He still kept in touch with Sasuke even though the flame between them had died. He was the one who was most persistent about Kojuro not spending all his time in his “cave.”

“You need sunlight once in a while,” Sauske said lounging in one of the chairs of Kojuro’s living room.

“It’s been a long week and I don’t feel like going anywhere,” Kojuro huffed from his spot on the couch. “I just want some time to rest.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s what you always say! When was the last time we went clubbing?”

“Last week, and you got too drunk to walk home and threw up all over me,” Kojuro scowled at the memory. It hadn’t been the best night for either of them. Just recalling it made him sink deeper into the cushions. There was nothing that could be said to make him move from this spot.

“I don’t remember that.”

“You don’t remember most of that night.”

“Besides the point. We should do something! When was the last time you got laid huh? We can go booty hunting. You’re my best wingman.”

“I think it was that same weekend,” Kojuro mused. He couldn’t be sure. All the weekends seemed the same at this point. He knows he supposed to want to go out and find a bed partner, but he didn’t have the same drive as his male counterparts. Or so they claimed. He knows Sasuke well, and is starting to think that he’s playing a part. He’s never known him to want to go “booty hunting.” Maybe it was Sasuke’s way of trying to get him off the couch.

“What!”

“The last time I got laid was…”

“How and when,” Sasuke was somewhere between confused and impressed. He was still convinced that Kojuro was a hermit when it came to the ends of the weeks, and couldn’t be motivated to do anything outside of lifting a finger for the remote.

“Last week. I asked them and they said yes,” Kojuro shrugged like it was no big deal.

“Whatever. When was the last time you were in a serious relationship?”

“You.”

“Really? Kojuro that was ages ago. It’s almost been ten years!” Sasuke all but yelled. He had a way of being dramatic over the smallest of things.

“I’ve been with other people, just no one worth mentioning,” Kojuro merely shrugged.

“That’s what I mean.”

“I’m not looking for someone right now.”

“We’re almost thirty years old, you know that?”

“I’m aware,” Kojuro sighed. He could tell where this was going.

“Almost everyone else our age has settled down.”

“Good for them.”

“Don’t wait too long to get back in the game.”

“If I find someone who is worth getting back into it for then I will, but right now I’m content.”

He was honest in that respect. He was okay with his one night stands and his few months of dating. He hardly ever parted with someone on bad terms. It was nice to meet new people and it was always a good way to relieve stress. He didn’t see himself in a long-term relationship in the future. He didn’t mind going on living the way he has for the past few years. And he would continue to go on like this for another few years.

Not much changed by then. He had the same apartment, and the same job, and the same outlook on life. He was doing well for himself and at one of the seminars for team building on the job he had been approached by a part-time worker. This man was also a college professor. He explained that he was teaching a higher level accounting course. He wanted someone to speak to his class about what work was like after graduation. He figured that Kojuro was a good fit since by now he had worked his way up to management.

Kojuro agreed to it. It was on his day off, but the classes were in the afternoon and evening, so at least he would still be able to sleep in. He wasn’t getting paid or anything, but he found no reason to say no. It wasn’t like he was doing anything that day anyways.

There was one student who caught his eye. He was fifth-row third seat to the left of the center aisle. Kojuro remembered because he was the one who asked the most questions. This was a college course, but if they weren’t getting a test on what he said, then they were only here for attendance. He could see their attention starting to fade as he talked. He couldn’t blame them. Accounting wasn’t the most exciting career choice.

At the end of the lecture, he had been packing up his things so he could leave when the same student who had been asking questions approached him. He was a few centimeters shorter than Kojuro. He wore his messenger bag over his shoulder. He only noticed because his hands were twisting the strap as he spoke.

“I’m Date Masamune. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to explain all that to us, especially for answering all of my questions.” He bowed.

“It’s nothing to thank me for. I’m glad that you found it useful.” He smiled softly taking in this guy’s full appearance. He was of a slight build, but from the way his clothes rested on his figure, it was clear he was toned. His hair was a bit messy as if he didn’t have time to fix it before he got here. It was a light brown color, and despite its disheveled state, it still looked soft. An eye patch covered his right eye, which was a disappointment, because his left eye was a soft grey, almost blue kind of color. He had an intense gaze, or maybe it was because Kojuro couldn’t bring himself to look away from that perfect nose, and those gently sculpted lips. They were a light tint of pink and just begging to be kissed.

Needless to say, there was an immediate physical attraction that he hadn’t felt in years.

“I was wondering if you would mind letting me interview you. I have a paper to write for one of my other classes, and I think that your know-how from experience in the field would help to enhance my paper.”

“Sure. I would love to.”

“Great! I have a class after this, but could we exchange information so we can work out a time and meeting place.”

“Of course.” Kojuro was all too eager to whip out a pen and paper and write down his cell number.

“Thank you.” Masamune gave him a dazzling smile as he took the paper and sent Kojuro a quick text so he could have his number as well. “I’ll be in touch!”

Then he went to class.

He heard back from him a few days later. He was on his lunch break so he was able to respond to him without delay. They made plans to meet up at a diner that was in between their location. They would meet around noon. That way they could have lunch and talk. Masamune said he would pay, but Kojuro said he was alright with paying for his own meal.

It was ridiculous! He was nervous like it was a first date or something. He was aware that it was nothing of the sort, however, he was jittery, and excited to see Masamune again. He had committed his name to memory since he heard it.

He got there a few minutes late since he didn’t want to be the one to get there first.

Masamune was already sitting down. His face lit up when he saw him approach and he waved. “I got water for the table, I hope you don’t mind.” He said as Kojuro sat down.

“It’s fine. Sorry I’m late.”

“It’s only been five minutes.” Masamune smiled and chuckled. “I’m just glad you made it.”

They ordered and got right to work with the questions. The first hour or so was spent with Kojuro answering inquires of the college student. It was professional enough to calm Kojuro’s nerves. There were times when he would catch himself staring when Masamune looked down to write.

“Thank you. I think I got enough. If I needed to call you later, would I be able to?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t mind.”

And wasn’t that smiling just dazzling? Masamune’s face broke out in a grin. There were only a few text after that to confirm information. He guessed it wasn’t enough to warrant another meeting. It was disheartening. He should have asked for another meeting, or…there wasn’t really any reason to see him again was there?

He was always eager to respond to his text. Even if it was at an odd hour in the morning, he would respond as quickly as he could.

“You have had a spring in your step for the past month,” Sasuke smirked when they got together again. “You even took my invitation to come out tonight.”

“I’ve been in a good mood.”

“So what happened? Did you get a raise or something?”

“I wish,” Kojuro snorted

“A promotion? What happened?” Sasuke looked ready to shake him if he didn’t start to explain himself.

“I might have met someone. I’m not sure yet.”

“What that’s supposed to mean?” Sasuke squinted at him, still frustrated that Kojuro wasn’t giving him a clear answer.

“He wanted to interview me for some paper or whatever. He seems alright.”

“A paper? Like a newspaper?”

“No, something for class. They’re in grad school.”

“I see…can he really use you as a reference?” Sasuke mused allowed.

“I guess. There are ways to source an interview.” Kojuro only shrugged.

“True. Have you heard from him since then?”

“I get a text here and there for a follow-up question.”

“So he’s not interested.”

“I don’t think so,” Kojuro admitted. “But I wouldn’t mind seeing him in person again.”

“He must be pretty hot if you’re mentioning him.”

“He’s attractive,” Again Kojuro tried to shrug like it was no big deal.

“But you guys haven’t talked that much?” Sasuke pressed on.

“Nothing that isn’t professional.”

“So is he not interested or what?”

“I doubt it.”

“Has he text you in a while?”

“No.” Kojuro tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice. It wasn’t like anything could come from this anyways. Like he said earlier, their relation was strictly professional. It was pointless to expect anything to come from this.

“Well, it’s better short-lived than to drag it out.”

“That’s true.”

“You still sound disappointed.”

“If you saw him then you would be too.”

“Haven’t heard you talk like that in forever.” Sasuke now had that sneaky smile on his face. It was the look he got before he decided to play matchmaker.

Kojuro only shrugged. It was better to not think about it too much. Though he found himself checking his phone every few minutes. It was getting ridiculous. His boss had caught him glancing at his phone enough that he sarcastically asked if he was expecting something. He replies by saying he was waiting for a call from a client. That was the end of the conversation, but he made sure not to look at too often.

But right now he wasn’t in the office and he could glance as much as he wanted. Sasuke would only snicker and poke at him whenever he caught him looking. Kojuro could only laugh. He was sure Masamune wasn’t going to text him anymore.

“So, does that mean you’re getting back in the game?” Sasuke gave him a cheeky grin.

“Probably not. It’s just this one guy who I thought was kind of cute.”

“But you seem pretty sprung about him?”

“You make it sound dirty.” Kojuro grimaced.

“Like you haven’t whacked one off to the thought of him.”

“I haven’t.” Kojuro blushed at the accusation.

“Give it time.”

He laughed, but it would probably happen at some point in time. Then again it was getting hard to recall what Masamune looked like. But he might have been lying about what he did after he met him. It was ridiculous how meeting someone can make you suddenly imagine what your life would be like with them, from the first date right down to what he would be like in the bedroom. Then his hand wandered downwards, and it had been a good night, yet unfulfilling.

“But seriously, if you have his number you should go for it.”

“Go for it?”

“Call him up. Ask him out! Tell him that you’re interested in getting to know him better.”

“That would be weird. I would just scare him.”

“The worst that happens is he says no. You probably won’t even see him again. So if you go for it…just maybe there might a good outcome.” He gave a teasing smirk.

“Maybe…”

“Dude just do it!”

“I’m fine with things the way they are.”

“What’s his name?”

“Masamune,” he said softly trying to stop the soft smile that spread over his face.

“Hmmm,” Sasuke leaned over the table grinning at him. “You have a good look about you when you talk about him. Call him!”

“I’m not going to.”

“Take a risk once in a while!”

“Not over something like this.”

“This is the most important thing to take a risk over!”

“I’d rather not.”

“Hey you,” Sasuke called out to one of the waiters. “If you like a guy, and you have his number, wouldn’t you call him and ask him out?”

“Yeah,” She giggled. “I would.”

“Do it!” Sasuke said getting giddy. He was drawing the attention of some of the people who were sitting at the table nearby.

“I’m not…” He stopped talking when his phone was ringing. Masamune’s name appeared on the screen. His hand had a jerky movement as he jumped to pick it up. ”Hello, this is Katakura.”

“Who is it? Is it him?” Sasuke demanded. He wasn’t even trying to be quiet.

Kojuro held up a hand to tell Sasuke to be quiet.

“Hey, it’s Masamune. I wanted to thank you again for all your help. The information you gave me made up a good ten pages of my paper. I was wondering if I could take you out to dinner or something as a thank you.”

“Sure, if you really want to, I guess it’s fine.”

“Alright, I’ll text you the address to the place and we can meet…maybe this Saturday around seven?”

“I’m free then.”

“Awesome! See you then!”

The line went dead and Kojuro sighed in relief.

“Was it him? You were all smiles just then,” Sasuke was about to come over the table if he didn’t get an answer.

“It’s not important.”

“You’re no fun man.” Sasuke pouted from across the table. “You’ll tell me how it goes right?”

“If it goes anywhere.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic. This may be the guy who sweeps you off your feet, or at least into bed. If things go downhill you gotta tap that at least once.”

“No, then they might get clingy and you start dating anyways.”

“Hey!” Sasuke protested. “It wasn’t like that.”

It was nice to bicker back and forth like this. It always made him feel as if no time had passed, and as if he didn’t have to go to work the next morning. It left his spirit lighter, and he wasn’t worrying about the small things.

It wasn’t until Saturday rolled around that he started to get nervous. Lucky for him his inward panic was not shown on the outside. It was something he had mastered back in college for whenever he had to give speeches.

But, in his stress, he managed to get there early, unlike last time. He sighed but got a table anyway and shot off a quick text to let Masamune know that he was already here. In the meantime, he got a water and tapped at his phone as he waited. He found himself reopening the same apps.

He was nervous and wanted to leave. He shouldn’t have taken this offer. Besides, wasn’t it kind of odd to do something like this? Masamune had no reason to thank him, much less to go this far. Maybe he wanted to ask another question face to face, but was too embarrassed to ask directly, and would try to bring it up in the conversation. It was a pretty farfetched idea, but it was all he could come up with.

Masamune was only five minutes late. They exchanged greetings and ordered. Small talk was unbearable. It was awkward on both ends. The more they struggled to keep the conversation going the worse it got.

This was a bad idea. He should go home!

“I’m sorry for calling you out like this,” Masamune apologized. “I was just hoping to talk to you again.”

Kojuro blushed and his mouth was ever so slightly agape, “It’s alright.”

“I wanted to get to know you outside of all the interview stuff. You seemed like a pretty cool guy.”

“Oh…thank you.”

“You get what I’m trying to say.”

“Kind of…”

“I like you,” Masamune said. “I want to know if you’re single, and if you are if you would be willing to date me?”

A silence fell over the table as Kojuro’s mind raced to catch up with what was being asked of him. He was having trouble processing it, because there was no way Masamune was asking him that.

“I wouldn’t mind that.”

“Really?” Masamune’s whole face lit up, and Kojuro lost his breath.

“Yes, I would like that a lot, actually.”

**TBC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC  
> The next three chapters just need one last look over before I post then and I'm currently writing the last two chapters. I'm hoping to be done writing this weekend before classes start up so I can get some sort of a posting schedule started or at least be more consistent. Thanks for being so patient.
> 
> I hope you guys are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it ^o^


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kojuro continues to reflect on his past and the beginning of his and Masamune's relationship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's talk of pedophilia in this chapter. Nothing happens but it's mentioned.  
> Also, there is smut in this chapter ;)

Their official first date was a lot better. Kojuro had invited Masamune out to his apartment and he made dinner. It was more relaxed now. There wasn’t that tension from last time when he had to be careful of his wording. He knew what Masamune’s intention were; and Masamune was aware of his.

It wasn’t bad to look at him and admire his beauty. He could tell him how nice he looked. It felt normal to sit and talk with him over a meal. They moved into the living room afterward to watch a movie, but the movie ended up being background noise. They talked most of the time.

Kojuro found out that Masamune was in of grad school. He was in the top of his class and wanted to be a CEO once he was out of school. Kojuro admired his ambition. He mostly admired the sparkle in his eye when he talked, and the excitement in his voice.

“When are you free again? We can go out next time?” Masamune asked.

“I always have weekends off.”

“Me too! I have finals all this week, but Friday is my last day! Maybe we can meet up at the park a few blocks from here and just take it from there?”

“Sounds doable. I have to go shopping first, so how about we meet up around two in the afternoon?”

“Alright. I’ll text you when I’m there.” Masamune smiled as Kojuro walked him to his car.

So of course, it rained the day they were supposed to meet up. However, it didn’t rain until after they were out there without an umbrella. Kojuro draped his coat over the both of them and they stopped in a café to get some shelter from the rain, and some coffee while they were at it.

“Sorry, I should have checked the weather.” Masamune apologized.

“It’s fine. I didn’t park too far from here, we can go somewhere else if you want?”

“Wanna head back to my place? I can return the favor from last night and make dinner this time. I’m a pretty awesome chef!”

“That sounds nice.”

Masamune put on a show for him when he cooked. It was like watching one of those fancy chefs prepare a meal. The knives twirled in his hands and flames danced in the pan he was using!

“Are you sure you’re a business major? You cook like a professional chef.” Kojuro said as he watched from the stool by the counter.

Masamune chuckled, “Thanks! It’s more of a hobby really. When I was younger I said I wanted to own my own restaurant! Sometimes I go down to Oshu and help my uncle out at his tea shop.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I would go up there for a few weeks in the summer when I was still in high school.”

“Sound like fun. Do you still go there?”

“Not in a while. I’ve been busy with school. I’ve only been able to drop in for a quick visit or two.” He said before he quickly switched subjects. “Dinner is ready!” He plated their meal and placed it in front of Kojuro.

“It looks amazing.” He waited for Masamune to sit down before he started to eat.

“Is it up to standards?” Masamune asked encouraging Kojuro to eat as he poured water for the both of them.

“It’s really good!” It made him slightly ashamed of what he made for him last night. Or maybe it tasted better because he got to see Masamune beam happily when he complimented him

~.~.~.~.~

“You are glowing,” Sasuke said the next them they hung out.

“I had a good weekend.”

“Was it the guy you were talking about earlier?”

“Yeah.”

“You tap that?” Sasuke quirked a brow.

“It’s not like that.” Kojuro insisted as he tried to keep his face from tinting pink.

“Oh! You guys are dating?”

“It’s barely been a week. It’s too quick to tell where this is going.”

“But you’re hopeful?” Sasuke playfully elbowed him in the side.

“He seems alright and I think this could be going in a good direction.”

“Haven’t heard you talk like that about anyone in a while.”

“I’m not talking about this right now.” Kojuro sighed. He was cutting the conversation off.

“Cause you want me to shut up so you can think about him?”

“Sasuke.”

“But you’ll tell me if it’s serious right?” Sasuke’s demeanor changed. He was honestly curious as to knowing what was going on.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

It would be few months until he would introduce them to each other. It was an accident. Kojuro and Sasuke had gone to get coffee for their break. The coffee in the break room was horrible, to say the least, and was only as last resort. Besides it was nice to get out of the office while the sun was still out.

“What are we doing this weekend?” Sasuke asked. “I finally don’t have to work this weekend. The boss can suck my dick if he thinks I’ll work four weekends in a row.”

“We could do lunch,” Kojuro suggested. “I have plans for Saturday night.”

“What’s that guy's name again?” Sasuke asked.

“Masamune.”

“I’ve got to try and remember that. But if you can’t do Saturday, then we can do something on Sunday?”

“Nothing’s open on Sundays.”

“True. I guess I’m just gonna have to crash at your place and eat all your food and use your T.V.”

“You could just ask to come over.” Kojuro rolled his eyes.

“But you already get the point so there’s no reason for me to say it.” Sasuke gave him a cheeky grin.

Kojuro sighed but he wasn’t really upset. He looked forwards to their lazy days of just laying around and doing nothing. He would just have to make sure to go shopping so there were some snacks to keep Sasuke sated: the last thing he needed was for Sasuke to eat him out of house and home.

“Kojuro!” a voice from behind pulled him from his train of thought. He turned around to see Masamune approaching him.

“Hey! What are you up to?” Kojuro didn’t know Masamune frequented this side of town.

“Nothing much. I had some errands I needed to run, and then Chosokabe and Tokugawa bumped into me and we had lunch. I was about to catch the bus home.”

Kojuro nodded as he listened to him talk, “Oh, Sasuke this is Masamune, my boyfriend, and Masamune, this is my friend and co-worker, Sasuke.”

“Nice to meet you,” Masamune smiled pleasantly and Sasuke greeted him as well. Then he said something about them running behind and them needing to get back to the office. He was right of course.

The moment they were out of earshot from Masamune Sasuke finally opened his mouth, “He’s pretty young.”

“He’s twenty-three.”

“He’s ten years younger than you! Kojuro, you’re entering some dangerous territory. People are already gonna look at you funny for having a guy on your arm, but now you just confirmed everything they could ever fear.” Sasuke kept his voice low. There was an urgency there that he was trying to communicate, hoping that Kojuro would understand.

“That being?” Kojuro challenged. He knew where this was going.

“Don’t make me say it.”

“He’s not a child.”                                                                                                         

“You know what people will say. What good, reasonable decisions were you making when you were that age? You know what, forget that. You might have been better off by that point, but he might not be! Sometimes guys like that go with the first thing that gives them attention!”

“It’s not like that.” This conversation wasn’t as bad as he thought it was going to be. It seemed like Sasuke was more worried about what people would think, as well as Masamune’s intentions, rather than Kojuro’s morals.

“It still looks bad no matter what angle you’re at.” Sasuke sighed before mumbling, “He’s fresh out of college. Ya know? A lot of people will consider him to be a child compare to you.”

Kojuro didn’t say anything more. But his day was spent harping over that word, child. Masamune was young, but he wasn’t _that_ young. Was he? There’s no way because Kojuro wouldn’t be attracted to someone if they were! All those doubts from high school flooded over him. What if he had turned into the very thing that he hated! What if he devolved into some sort of pervert and hadn’t noticed!

He wasn’t even able to enjoy his time with Masamune when he came over. They spent more time watching the movie in silence than talking. Masamune was leaning against him, and didn’t notice that anything was wrong, and if he did he didn’t say anything. He was content to lay against Kojuro and wrap his arms around the man’s waist. When he shifted it brought Kojuro’s mind back to the present.

He became very aware of the contour of Masamune’s body and the way the muscles moved and felt again him. He was stronger than he appeared. His efforts at the gym were very apparent. The same way it was apparent that Masamune was a man, not a child. There was nothing childlike about him. Looking down at his face also helped to affirm this belief.

This was a man. It was okay for him to like him. It was okay for him to want him!

“See something you like?” Masamune smirked up at him. “You’ve been staring for a while now.”

“Maybe I have.”

“Maybe?”

Kojuro kissed him. He smiled against his lips and chuckled softly. Masamune kissed him back, but his hands came up to hold Kojuro in place. The kiss deepened, and Kojuro didn’t have to think too hard to tell what Masamune was trying to get at. He attempted to seduce him a few weeks ago.

It had been late, so Masamune asked if he could spend the night instead of having to drive back home. Kojuro agreed and went to get him some spare clothes so he could have something to change. Masamune entered the bedroom while Kojuro was still looking for something that wouldn’t be too big on him.

“Find anything?” He had asked and made Kojuro jump. He turned around to see Masamune unbuttoning his shirt and walking towards him with a smirk on his face. He pushed Kojuro down on the bed and straddle him.

“Masamune….”

“I want you.”

“I have work in the morning. Maybe it would be best to…” Kojuro found himself hesitating. More than anything, he wanted to do this with Masamune. Many times he fantasized about what it would be like to have Masamune, bouncing on his lap as they made love, or what it would be like to have him underneath him, and be the reason he’s a moaning writhing mess!

But earlier in that week was when Kojuro had hesitated. Earlier in the week, before Sasuke and Masamune had met, he learned Masamune was twenty-three. It had taken him by surprise. Masamune always looked a bit older to him. If he could have guessed, he would have put Masamune at twenty-seven, there was something about the way he carried himself that made him think he was older than he was.

Masamune had taken it well and agreed on just sharing the bed for the night. Kojuro said he wanted to take things slow, and he was willing to go at Kojuro’s pace. It gave the older man time to think and weigh out his options.

His inner monologs were always the same! Even when Sasuke brought it up when meeting Masamune, there was an extra bit of doubt after hearing it from a friend. Sasuke’s words hurt more than anyone else’s, but he was able to find his resolve.

He had never looked at Masamune as anything other than a man! He wasn’t taking advantage of him in any way. Masamune was more than capable of making his own decisions and deciding what he wanted to do with his own body, and who he allowed himself to love.

So now he didn’t hesitate when Masamune was pulling him down on top of him and kissing him softly. He maneuvered himself to lay flush against him as they continued. It made it harder for clothes to come off. He managed to shrug off his shirt. It was a button up, and Masamune had made quick work of getting all the buttons undone. Kojuro was struggling with the other man’s shirt.

He couldn’t remember the last time when he was this excited. His hands were shaking, which was the reasons for his current difficulties. Masamune had started to sit up to allow more room for him to move and get his clothes off. Kojuro moved with him but was losing his balance in the process. He chose to slip to the floor instead. He was now on his knees between his partner's legs. Masamune tried to throw his shirt off. He wasn’t paying attention to the fact that Kojuro was undoing his zipper. Masamune's shirt got stuck on his head for a bit. He was relieved to see that Kojuro hadn’t noticed.

Masamune couldn’t believe this was finally happening! It wasn’t going the way he had planned. Things had been dragging out for so long, he worried about the reason why Kojuro didn’t want to touch him.

Right now Kojuro was touching him. He had Masamune’s pants off and was mouthing his cock through the boxers. He was already hard.  Kojuro was taking his time and let his tongue drag across the material before sucking the cloth-covered head. Masamune’s hands were in his hair now. They were trying to guide him further down so he would take him into his mouth. Kojuro didn’t budge. He wanted this to last!

He heard a groan from above, and he looked up to see Masamune already pink in the face and panting. His thighs quivered in anticipation of Kojuro’s next move. It made the older man wonder just how aroused Masamune was before this. A little bit of teasing had done this to him? Kojuro started to remove the boxers just enough to have access to Masamune’s cock.

Masamune was looking watching him. He didn’t speak, but his hands were still pushing him forwards. Kojuro gave in and slid Masamune’s erection into his mouth. He smirked when Masamune moaned upon contact and threw his head back. The hands in his hair were starting to.

It didn’t take much to have Masamune withering against the couch, yet thrusting his hips upwards to get deeper into Kojuro’s mouth. Pre-cum came out in abundance. Kojuro grasped his legs to push him back into the couch. He moved with him and began to deep throat him with vigor.

Masamune was putty in his hands. He was curling in on himself as he tried to push back further into the cushions, but he was already as far as he could go. Kojuro’s head was bobbing between his legs. He wasn’t using coherent words, but Kojuro seemed to be able to understand what he was saying.

The younger man’s legs were over Kojuro’s shoulders  to give him more room to work. He took him in completely. His tongue was flat against the underside of the cock and running along the vein every time he moved. Masamune throbbed in his mouth.  Enough precum was leaking to pool on Kojuro’s tongue.

“Gonna cum,” Masamune managed to say, but Kojuro could already tell. He sucked harder and hollowed his cheeks to apply more suction.  He took him into his mouth completely again.  That was when Masamune lost it. His body shook and he pulled on Kojuro’s hair as he came inside his mouth.

“Shit,” Masamune gritted out through clenched teeth every time his cums spurted out from the head of his cock. His eye was on Kojuro who stayed between his legs the whole time and only came up when he was done. He kissed Masamune deeply and deposited the cum that he had yet to swallow into his mouth.

Masamune didn’t seem to mind. He moaned and arched his back. His hands wandered from Kojuro’s chest down to his belt. He fumbled a bit as he tried to undo it blindly, but eventually, he managed. He pulled Kojuro’s pants and boxers down just enough to be able to let his dick free. He started to pump him, and Kojuro groaned into the kiss.

“I wanna be inside you,” he mumbled against his lips and Masamune let out an exaggerated yes. It sounded like something you would hear in a porno. Kojuro didn’t linger on that thought too long as he fished around one of the draws in the table by the couch. There was a corner of lube and a single condom that had expired.

“We don’t need it,” Masamune was kissing at his neck still stroking his length. “Besides, you blew me without a condom.”

He had a point there, but condoms always made clean up easier. But he did want to know what it felt like to be in Masamune without anything interfering. It wouldn’t hurt to be a little reckless this one time. He still took the time to prep Masamune, though he kept saying he didn’t need it.

He could see why he would say it. Masamune was already loose. He must have prepped himself before he got here. The thought alone made Kojuro moan and lean into the hand that was still stroking him. He wondered how long Masamune had waited for this? How many nights he fingered himself to the thought of him?

He kissed Masamune as he adjusted himself to be able to slip inside of him.

Their first time had been slow and sweet because of the position they were in. It was hard for Kojuro to move, but Masamune looked good like that and he didn’t want to miss this view. They fucked instead of making love.

Masamune didn’t seem to mind. He has sprawled out on the couch afterward as Kojuro used the tissues on the table to clean him up. He hadn’t meant to cum inside him, but he had, so he should help clean him up. Not that Masamune cared. His hair was a mess and his body covered in a layer of sweat. From the chest up he was pink from physical exertion, and small pants escaped his lips.

“You were good.” The younger man purred.

“You sound like you expected any less from me?” Kojuro said as he laid kisses on his neck.

“You never know what to expect now in days. I haven’t dated in a while, and you seemed about the same. Sometimes you lose your touch. I’m kind of rusty if you couldn’t tell.”

“I couldn’t.” He leaned over and kissed Masamune on the corner of his mouth. The younger man shifted and turned so he could wrap his arms around Kojuro’s neck.

“You’re sweet. You don’t have to lie.” He murmured against his lips.

“Now I just think you’re fishing for compliments.”

“Maybe a little.”

Kojuro chuckled at Masamune’s antics but still said, “You blew my mind.”

“Don’t exaggerate.”

“You were good.”

“Close enough.” He kissed him again pulling him down more. “We should get some food.”

“We just ate.”

“Good sex followed by good food is the best thing you can ever do. Trust me!” Masamune was grinning up at him and Kojuro couldn’t fight back a smile.

“Fine. I’m not cooking, though. We’re gonna have to order.”

“I want pizza.”

“I get the oddest feeling that you planned this?”

“I’ll pay,” Masamune added.

“No need. It will be my treat.”

“You sure? I can just get out my credit card. It’s in my pants pockets…where ever my pants are…”

“I got it,” Kojuro said already dialing the number.

“That just means I pay next time.” Masamune was pouting now.

And for once in his life, Kojuro could say he was truly happy.

###  TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for all the Kojuro angst, but I feel like his character is really starting to come full circle in this fic.  
> Thanks for reading


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kojuro continues to reflect on his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said on tumblr that Kojuro's flashback was long and by the time you were done reading it you would be able to tell that this is what took me a better part of a year >o

Days and months went by and it became easier to ignore the looks they got in public if they were to hold hands or kiss. He has come to realize that most people were looking at them because they were two men. They didn’t give them another glance afterward to see anything more than that. With time Kojuro’s confidence grew and he had been able to introduce Masamune to his friends, and Masamune introduced his friends to him.  

It was an awkward meeting, to say the least.  But Masamune held his hand through the whole process and things went smoothly. The only one who didn’t think anything was wrong with it was Keiji. He said something about love being love not matter what age.

Yukimura disapproved of him immediately! It was his job as the childhood friend to be critical of his new boyfriend. Kojuro thought it was more than that. He could tell Yukimura’s affection surpassed that of friendship. However, this didn’t make him feel threatened. He could tell that Yukimura did care deeply for Masamune and was more concerned about his well being than his own crush.

Chosokabe was the only one who worried him, the man proclaimed himself to be a pirate. He also appeared to be Masamune’s best friend and very protective of the younger man. “He’s like a little brother to me.” He had declared. It didn’t take much reading in between the lines to hear the threat that was there.

All and all, things were still going well. There were times in the summer when he felt bad for having to hold off on making plans with Masamune. The younger man was on summer break, and Kojuro still had to work. At the end of most workdays, he was tired. On a few occasions, he could surprise Masamune by calling to ask if he would be free at the end of the day.

They made things work. It was clear after the first year that neither of them planned on breaking up. Kojuro had even considered proposing a few times, but then again, could they even get married? And Masamune was still going through school. He didn’t want to pressure him.

Masamune became distant during finals week. He always said he wasn’t stressed or that he wasn’t worried about testing, but Kojuro knew better. They have been together long enough for him to be able to tell the difference between when he was okay, and when he wasn’t. Kojuro would have to come around once in awhile to make sure he wasn’t freaking out too much. At first, he would invite him out. Once Masamune had his own apartment and was free of roommates, Kojuro would come over, make dinner and get him to relax.

He could finally understand why Sasuke always complained about having to drag him out of his apartment. He found himself having to coax Masamune out to get air. The other man would look at him like he was crazy, and cover himself in the blankets when the curtains were pulled back to let the sun in. In the process, Kojuro had learned that it was best to lead Masamune with a gentle hand.

A kiss, a bit of small talk and he could get him out of bed. Sometimes it was for a small walk, other times to the grocery store and they would make dinner together. Sometimes they would go to Kojuro’s place instead of back to Masamune’s so he wouldn’t dive back in order to get back to work. That was how they started sleeping over frequently.

Masamune would get tired while visiting and he spent the night, and then the day, and then the next night. Sometimes he would even pop in after class and just take the bus to class the next afternoon. He was practically living there by the end of their second year together.

“It’s a trend nowadays,” Sasuke explained. “People move in with each other if the relationship lasts for more than a few months.”

“A few months?”

“You probably didn’t even notice it before it got to this point. What tipped you off to it?”

“He hasn’t left in two weeks.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No. I just noticed it, though. A lot of his stuff is at my place now too.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Is any of your stuff at his place?”

“No.”

“He’s probably putting out signals,” Sasuke said in a sing-song voice. “He wants to take things to the next level.”

“He would just say something if that was the case.”

“But it’s been a while.” Sasuke pointed out. “Why not move in together.”

“I like my space.”

“Right. Does your sister still visit often?” Sasuke already knew what the real problem was.

Kojuro paled. He had been trying to make sure that his family and Masamune didn’t bump into each other until he thought it was appropriate. He wasn’t ready to deal with their skepticism. He was used to his sister just popping in to say hi once in awhile, but he was just lucky she didn’t have a key. It’s why he started taking her out to eat more often when she was over and made sure to have both Kita and Masamune text before they came over.

It was a juggling act.

“But it has been a long time. Two years almost!” Sasuke shook his head. “And you still haven’t told your family.”

“You know how they are.”

“I was…apprehensive about him when I first met him, but he kind of grew on me. You guys together grew on me. And your family has been pretty open minded, to begin with.”

“I know.” Kojuro sighed.

“And if this is serious then why not move in together? You guys are committed right?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s not like you guys are getting any younger, so I’m not sure what you’re waiting for.”

Even Kojuro wasn’t sure the answer to that was.

Again a lie to himself. He knew he was still conflicted about Masamune and how his family would look at him.  Masamune’s twenty-fifth birthday was just around the corner, which made him feel a little bit better. Then he would remember that his thirty-fifth birthday as a few months after that.

And things were becoming more and more chaotic in his own head. He wanted to be able to take Masamune places with him. Like those business dinners that the company always has. Everyone brings their wife or girlfriend and he comes alone. Here he kept his sexuality to himself. It was none of his co-workers business, but he had also heard the way they had talked about homosexual relations and the likes. It sent chills down his spine and gave him flashbacks to that time in high school.

He couldn’t bring Masamune into that kind of toxic situation!

But he always found their talks ironic. Of course, they were worried about homosexuals and children. They claimed them to be pedophiles, which was laughable because the one saying it was in his late fifties dating a newly eighteen-year-old who still looked like she was fifteen. He bragged that it was nice having a trophy wife on his arm. She cooks, cleans and is good in bed. It was disgusting to watch because that girl looked at that man like he was her whole world.

That was an example of youth being taken advantage of. But he knew the looks he would get if he brought Masamune, and he wasn’t ready for that. He wasn’t ready to be isolated again to hear everyone snide and disgusting remarks.

It made him jumpy, and distant. Those days he would be lost in thought and question everything. He would sleep at the edge of the bed and away from his partner. Masamune would become concerned and ask him what was wrong, but he wasn’t able to give a straight answer. When this happened they took a break from the relationship. It was never said out loud. They just wouldn’t see each other for a few weeks if not a month, until Kojuro initiated contact again.

It was the reason for Kojuro’s hesitation.

He would try to make it up to him when he saw him again. He would take Masamune out for dinner and cater to him, hand and foot. Masamune never outwardly complained, but he knows that it hurt him, and could only do but so much to make up for it. He also knows that he should just explain what he was feeling, but he couldn’t open his mouth and say it. He feared what Masamune would think if he explained it. He worried he might reconsider their relationship.

Then they would go back to that peaceful time. That time when Kojuro could care less what others think of him and Masamune was in a good mood. They saw each other more frequently because Masamune never broke the habit of staying over for days at a time. Kojuro had grown accustomed to it. He learned to plan his day around him being there. They were basically cohabitating, except for when Masamune was busy on a paper or school work. Then he would stay at his own place.

It’s why Kojuro would take him out to dinner after finals. Somewhere nice, but where they could have some privacy.

“This place has to be my favorite of the places we’ve been together so far.” Masamune grinned.

“I thought you would like it.” Kojuro smiled softly as watched Masamune enjoy himself.

“I’ve hadn’t had food this good in a long time. I’ve been living off of noodles for the past few weeks. That and toast. I ran out of butter after the first few days, though, so after the first week it was just dry toast.” He was talking a mile per a minute as he tried not to shovel food down his throat.

“You could have come over. I could have cooked something so you actually had a balanced diet.”

“If I stopped working to get up and come over, I wouldn’t get back to work.” He did what Kojuro had learned was a  wink, before he took another bite.

Kojuro blushed, but he managed to take a sip of his wine.

“You’re pretty goal oriented. I doubt it would have had much of an impact on your work.”

“Being goal oriented is my problem if you catch my drift.” Another wink.

Kojuro just laughed this time. He knew Masamune would choose to study over sex any day if it meant keeping his grade point average. He learned this from experience, and found it to be endearing rather than a nuisance.

“I think it’s one of your better attributes.”

“I’m sure.”

“So how did finals go?”

“They sucked. I’m sure I did well, but they still sucked. I wrote three essays for one class! We didn’t even get the questions in advance so I had to wing it. I honestly rather have a thirty-page paper due at the end of the term instead of that final. At least then I can prepare in advance and have time for fine tuning.”

“It’s because you’re a perfectionist. I’m sure you did just as good either way.”

Masamune snorted. “No, that professor hates me. I’d be surprised if I got any kind of good grade.” He sighed. “How has the amazing world of accounting been going?”

“Financial reports are due in another month.” Kojuro sighed. “It’s about to get hectic. Layoffs happen a lot during this time so everyone is high strung. I’ve been put in charge of putting together the portfolio.”

“That sounds like it sucks.”

“It’s better to oversee the project. It means all I have to do is delegate and look back over all the math and make sure there are no errors, and that everything adds up. If I find something wrong then I have to look up who did it and talk to them, have them double check their work.”

“So you’re the boss.”

“I’m upper-level management.”

“Sweet! That’s pretty close to CEO. Ya know!”

“It’s not a position that I’m after.”

“Really? It’s such a better position! Higher pay, less work, more say in the way the company manages itself.”

“It’s never been a goal. I’m happy where I am.”

“That makes sense. “ Masamune nodded. He was already almost done with his entrée. He wasn’t lying when he said he hadn’t had real food in a while. All his attempts to eat like a civilized being were going out the window.

“Do you want to order dessert?” Kojuro smirked in amusement as he wiped a bit of spinach from Masamune’s face.

“I’m full actually,” Masamune said. “You wanna head back, and watch a movie or something?”

“Not that one we watched last time,” Kojuro said motioning to the waiter for the check.

“That was a classic!”

“The dog died in the end.”

“But it was a good movie.”

Kojuro just made a face as he handed the waiter the money for the bill.

“Then let’s do a comedy!” Masamune said as they got up. “I could use a good laugh!” He grasped Kojuro’s hand as they walked out. He was all energy, practically bouncing as he walked.

“I’ll let you pick it.” Kojuro gave Masamune’s hand a light squeeze. Masamune beamed up at him and kissed him quickly.

“You’re gonna regret that decision. I promise you that!”

“I bet.”

They only watched the movie for about the first half of it. They ended up making out like teenagers. They had been apart for so long it was only a matter of time before they ended up in the bedroom.

Which was another point of contention, but not for the reason previously mentioned. Masamune wanted it fast and quick, and Kojuro preferred to take his time. He wanted to touch him, look at him, relish in his touch. He wanted to make love to him, but Masamune is impatient. It was difficult to get him into the proper mood to do things the way he wanted.

He was bound and determined to make love to Masamune, but Masamune just wanted to fuck. Not to say that the sex was bad, but Kojuro wanted more. There were a few times when he’s sure they were close to it, and that Masamune was starting to open up to him. Because Masamune was closed off in bed.

It was peculiar, to say the least. He didn’t ask about it, but it was one of the things that were coming between them during bad times. Neither of them was completely honest with the other, and neither of them was willing to talk about it.

They would have to be backed into a corner in order to confront their own issues.

~.~.~.~.~

“I saw you last night!” One of Kojuro’s co-worker leaned against his desk, arms crossed and frowning. No, he was glaring. He had that face of disgust that he had seen so many times.

“You did?” Kojuro stopped what he was doing to look up at him. He tried to appear calm. The other man was loud with his announcement, and it drew the attention of the office.

“Yeah I did. I saw you when you were leaving that restaurant last night. You know the one.”

“Yes, I was there.” For some reason, his mind wasn’t making the connection.  He couldn’t see where this was going.

“Who was the little cutie on your arm?” The man smiled, but it was with malice

Kojuro blushed. He had been seen! He had been seen leaving the restaurant with Masamune! This could go one of two ways, and neither of them had a good outcome. The sheer shock of the question left him unable to answer. His mouth opened and closed like a fish. No words came fourth.

“What’s their name?” He was amused. “Come on! I never even heard you mention dating anyone.”

“I like to keep my private life private.” Kojuro turned back to his work.

“I see,” he shifted to be in his line of sight. “Is it because you’re dating a boy?”

Kojuro knew he shouldn’t answer. It would make things worse. He could tell from the look on the other man’s face that he would pounce if he said the wrong thing. If he stayed silent, then it would only prove his guilt.

“I like to keep my private life private.” He repeated himself, looking the man in the eyes as he spoke this time.

“Is that because that guy was like, what, fourteen, fifteen?”

“He’s twenty-five.” Kojuro realized that no matter how this played out, he would fall into the trap. The moment he spoke his partner’s age, he saw the other man’s predatory grin.

“A whole ten years younger than you.”

“It’s none of your business.”

“He’s a child.”

“He’s an adult.”

No one was working anymore. They were paying attention to the rising action. Kojuro wasn’t known for being in any form of office conflict, which added to the drama of it all.

“I’m not sure what’s worse, that you’re dating a boy, or that you’re trying to defend it?”

“You’re the one making it out to be something it’s not.”

“Am I? Or have we been working with a pedophile this whole time.”

“That’s not true.”

“It’s what it looks like to me. I’m sure we would all agree!” He looked around the office as he spoke. Even Kojuro could see what he said was true. Everyone in the office was looking at him with judgment in their eyes.

He was backed into a corner. He knew there was nothing he could say to change their minds. He has outcasted again. But it also meant that he had nothing to lose.

“That’s not what’s going on. Yes, he is my boyfriend, but no he is not a child. He’s twenty-five years old.  There’s nothing wrong with what I’m doing.”

“You can’t be serious?”

“I haven’t done anything wrong.

“You just like little boys?” The man laughed uneasily.

“He’s a man, not a child. You saw him, you know. Do not put me on your level because the fact that I’m dating a man makes you uncomfortable.”

“Of course a pedophile in the office makes me uncomfortable!” He was raising his voice.

“Don’t call me that!” His voice raised and he knows the rage in his voice couldn’t be masked. “I’m nothing that low and disgusting.”

“Really?

Kojuro’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not like you guys. I don’t sit around preying on girls who just got out of high school and haven’t been in college for more than two weeks. I don’t tell them sweet nothing and promise them the world to get in their pants.” He stood up to be face to face with this man. “I’m not a predator. I’m not like you.”

“Everyone okay?” The boss appeared out of nowhere. He was standing at the entrance of the office, still in his coat and a cup of coffee in hand.

Kojuro eyed the other man still glaring at him. He wasn’t backing down. Not this time.

“We were just talking.”

~.~.~.~.~

By the time he got home for that ordeal he was completely exhausted. The office was stiff, and he couldn’t wait to get out of there. He knows he left quickly, and it didn’t go unnoticed. He punched out and just took any extra work he had with home with him. He couldn’t stay in there any longer.

It was a relief to be back in his apartment. He didn’t take notice of the extra set of shoes on the shoe rack. He just flopped himself down on the couch and sighed again. He wanted all of this to just be over already. He wanted to go to work tomorrow and for it to be like today never happened.

But that wouldn’t happen.

“You’re back early?” Masamune peeked out from around the kitchen. “You usually aren’t back for another hour or two. I started on dinner.”

He’d forgotten that Masamune never left. Actually, from the way he comes and goes, Kojuro is starting to suspect that Masamune has a spare key. That or he stays in all day so he doesn’t get locked out. Then again, he normally comes over a little bit after Kojuro comes home, so the older man lets him in, and he leaves in the morning. He must have decided not to go to class today.

Still, you would think he would want to use his day off to hang with friends, but instead, he stayed here and made Kojuro dinner. Not that he didn’t appreciate it.

“What’s wrong?” Masamune interrupted his train of thought. “Bad day?”

“Long day.”

“Same thing, seriously what’s…”

His arms wrapped around Masamune’s waist and pulled him closer. He rests his head against his stomach. It caught Masamune by surprised but he hugged him back. It was in this moment that Kojuro felt his heart burst in his chest. He felt safe in these arms and was able to let himself relax.

“That bad huh?” Masamune rubbed his back gently.

“I love you.” Kojuro’s words were muffled because of the way they were pressed together, and Masamune didn’t hear him. It was, however, the first time he ever said it to him.

“I have food on the stove,” Masamune was gentle in explaining that he had to break the embrace. “How about you change into something more comfortable and I’ll finish up so you can eat.”

Kojuro put some space between them and looked up at him. Masamune ran his hand through his hair and smiled softly.

“Alright,” Kojuro finally said and released his partner, who promised it would be about five more minutes before dinner was done and scampered off to the kitchen.

It was times like these that pushed all of Kojuro’s apprehensions aside. He’d never been with someone who still makes his heart flutter like this. He isn’t sure why Masamune always goes out of the way to do things for him, but he did, and it meant a lot to him. Not that he was doing things for him, but that he cared enough to want to.

He knew when he looked at him that he loved him. Masamune had yet to say it, but he knew! It was why Kojuro wanted to treat him with care like he was something fragile. He treasured him, and every second they could spend together.

These moments when they were away from the rest of the world, in this tiny apartment, were bliss.

“You went from frowning to smiling.” Masamune pointed out as they ate. He caught Kojuro sneaking a glance at him again.

“I’m just in a better mood.”

“Good.”

“You want help cleaning up the kitchen?”

“All that is left are the plates.” Masamune waved it off. “I’ll be fine. You relax. I’ll have you do the dishes next time!”

Kojuro wasn’t going to argue with that. He didn’t want to have to help clean up if he was honest, but he wanted to at least offer his help.

He decided to shower and go to bed instead of bothering with those last few files he brought home. He would deal with them tomorrow. The deadline was far enough off, he didn’t have to worry about it.

Masamune climbed in bed a bit later. He stopped to shower first. Kojuro could hear the water running in the bathroom. He had just finished changing into a clean pair of boxers when the water stopped. Masamune emerged still a bit damp as he crossed the room. His hair was still a little wet from the shower so he sat at the edge as he ran a towel through it. Kojuro watched him. He always found himself breathless when he thought of how beautiful Masamune was. His form was majestic and all he wanted to do was run his hands over his skin and kiss every part of him. The problem was trying to calculate the proper way to approach him. He wanted him, badly. He felt like this since he saw him when he got home.

He sat up and wrapped his arms around him again, this time gently kissing his neck. Masamune smirked as he tilted his head to the side to give him more room.

“Is that why you were all smiles all of a sudden? You made plans?”

“Maybe that had a little to do with it.” He confessed as he continued to kiss and nibble at the skin presented to him. He gently sucks until he heard Masamune moan. “Let me make love to you.” He whispered huskily.

“Do what you want. I’m yours.” Masamune let Kojuro pull him down into bed so they were laying side by side. He let hands trail down his side and back up to cup his face. Kojuro was hovering over him now smiling softly as he looked at him.

“You’re beautiful,” Kojuro leaned down and kissed him. When he put space between them again, he could see the apprehension in Masamune’s eye. It was like he didn’t know how to respond to Kojuro’s affection.

“Kojuro…” He didn’t finish what he was going to say because Kojuro had a nipple in his mouth and was sucking it gently.

He wanted to turn Masamune on. He wanted him to get hot and bother and feel that slow burn spread through his body, and make him quake with pleasure.

Sex was always trying. Masamune wanted it fast and quick. No emotion, just physical pleasure. If Kojuro even started to act like he wanted something more, Masamune would start up with dirty talk, role play, anything that would distract or change the direction of mood. It’s why Kojuro worked at finding what made Masamune tick, what brought him the most pleasure and left him speechless.

He kissed down Masamune’s neck and stopped at his chest. He licked his fingers and gently rubbed the small appendage with said fingers. He watched Masamune’s face, who was watching him work. His cheeks were flushed pink and he let out a small moan when Kojuro flicked it.

Kojuro shifted to be on top of Masamune. He pressed his knee lightly up to Masamune’s groin as he leaned down and took the other nipple in his mouth. He wasn’t surprised by the gasp that he got from him. Nipple play was something that Masamune loved. When Kojuro took the appendage between his teeth and pulled lightly, it got Masamune to arch his back and his groin to rub against Kojuro’s leg.

“You’re taking your damn time,” Masamune managed to get out with the minimum quiver in his voice.

“I’m enjoying myself,” Kojuro admitted.

“Get on with it.”

“It’s Friday. We have the whole night. “His hand reached down to cup Masamune’s cock through his briefs. “What’s the rush?” He looked up surprised to see Masamune looking away from him. His cheeks were rosy and his mouth was slightly open as he panted.

“What’s wrong?” Kojuro frowned.

“Nothing. I’m just waiting for you to do it.”

“Do you want to stop?”

“No, I just…” Masamune scooted up and away from Kojuro. “You get really intense sometimes and I can’t take it.”

Kojuro sat up, “Intense?”

“I feel like you’re expecting something from me that I can’t give you,” Masamune explained looking up at him.

“I’m not expecting anything from you,” Kojuro said gently. He reached out to cup Masamune’s face with his hand.

“Yes, you are. I can see it in your eyes.”

Kojuro wasn’t sure how to react to that. He could tell what Masamune was trying to convey to him. He hadn’t meant to pressure his partner.

“I just, I want you to be honest with me, about how you feel about me.”

“I’ve done that,” Masamune looked away again. “So why do I have to do that in bed?”

“I want all of you,” Kojuro said also being honest. “I want to see all of you, even at your most vulnerable state, and I want you to trust me when that happens.”

“You’re getting all sappy on me now.” Masamune let out a nervous laugh.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“But I am. I’m not trying to be difficult I just…”

“You don’t have to force yourself.” Kojuro realized he cut him off as he talked, and regretted it.

“I want to be able to do it ya know. I-I’m just not ready for that kind of exposure.”

Kojuro wanted to point out that they had been together for a long time up to this point. At the same time, he found it to be a bit of a relief. He always thought that he was the one holding the relationship back, but it turns out that Masamune had been stepping on the brakes as well. He also couldn’t say that this was a good thing.

It was also unfulfilling in a way. He wanted to bridge this gap between them but was too scared to. He knows that if Masamune was anyone else they probably wouldn’t still be here. But, Masamune was going through issues of his own that kept them from getting closer. If anything, he was probably also expecting to get pushed way.

This was something his thoughts did linger on. Maybe he had to be the one to say he wants to take the next step that he doesn’t plan on going anywhere. No, that would sound too much like a proposal! He doesn’t want to scare Masamune off.

So time past and days went on. Both of them feeling like they were walking on eggshells. Kojuro didn’t even have time to pay this much mind: he was still dealing with a tricky situation at work. Very few of his co-workers said anything, but there was always a joke here and there. For the most part, he could ignore it. They were acting like grade-schoolers after all. There was still something about all this that made his stomach knot and the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

It was the fact that this had striking similarity to a previous situation that made him cautious. He wasn’t going through that again! He wasn’t as weak as he had been back then. He wasn’t afraid of throwing a few punches for his own safety, his disposition in the office said it all. Jokes about what had transpired had never been said to his face, but when he heard them he gave the stank eye. He wasn’t going to be passive and pretend he didn’t hear.

It was leading to tension in the office. The boss was taking notice and pulling people into the office to talk. The poor man was probably trying to figure out what had happened. However, Kojuro was fairly certain no one was going to say anything. Playground rules withstand even in adulthood, no one likes a tattletale.

It wasn’t long until Kojuro was called in. It was only a week after the incident. He was as casual as he could be when he stood in the office across from his boss. He was told to sit down.

“There’s been a bit more drama in the office than normal.” The boss said. “I was hoping you could shed the light on the situation.”

“There’s not much to say.” Kojuro shrugged.

“The others have already filled me in on what happened. I just want you to give me your side of the story.”

“What did they tell you?” Kojuro was worried now. He had maintained a good reputation with his boss since he joined this company. He didn’t want his name slandered just because of how the others in the office had a negative opinion on his lifestyle.

However, his boss just raised an eyebrow at his defensive tone. All he said in response was, “I have a good idea of what’s going on here. Kagetsuna, I’ve known you for too long assume the worst of you without hearing what you have to say, so please…”

And just like that Kojuro found himself explaining the whole situation. He kept his own thoughts out of it as he explained the bare bones of what happened that day. He was able to recite the conversation and told about the snide comments that had come after.

“Why didn’t you come to me sooner?” His bosses tone was gentle. His eyes were understanding and full of concern. “This is a serious matter. I know you’d rather not call attention to this, but you shouldn’t be subjected to this kind of harassment.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I know this is difficult for you, and these kinds of things can be difficult to prove.” The boss stood up and leaned against the desk.

“If it would be easier to transfer me I would understand.”

“You’re not going to be the one punished for what happened.” He came around to put his hand on Kojuro’s shoulder. “I mean that. I’m going to do everything in my power to make this stop.”

Kojuro believed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kojuro stood up for himself ya!
> 
> One more flashback chapter I swear. Then we'll get back to presence tense and get back to the Christmas celebration! Yeah \\(^o^)/


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kojuro continues to reflect on the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last part of the flashback and a transition into the present! Woot!

“So, plans for spring break fell through. Chosokabe’s parents won’t let him take the boat out after what happened last time.” Masamune explained as he stretched out on the couch. “I guess everyone still wants to just meet up at some point. It’s just a matter of us having the free time.”

“Sounds troubling.” Kojuro was always a bit envious when Masamune talked about all the breaks he had since he was still in school. It wasn’t even like he had to worry about work because his father paid for outside expenses.

“Not really. I didn’t really want to go ya know. I don’t mind sitting around with nothing to do.”

“I thought you were all about parties?”

“That was undergrad,” Masamune reminded him with a smirk. “I’m too old for that kind of thing.”

“I know. I can see those grey hairs from here.”

“Anyways,” Masamune rolled his eye. “I was wondering if you had a bit a free time. We haven’t had a date night in a while, and you look stressed.”

“I’m not stressed.”

“I can see those grey hairs from here.” Masamune frowned.

“Very original.”

“All I’m say’n,” Masamune got up from the couch and crossed the room, “Is that I want to treat you, help you relax.” He took Kojuro’s hands in his as he straddled his waist.

“Masamune…”

“I like you,” Masamune said looking him in the eye. “I like you a lot. I know I haven’t been…as proactive as I would have liked. But I’m serious about us. I like spending time with you and I feel like we’ve been drifting.”

“We’re not drifting. We’ve just both been busy. “

“I just,” he bit his lip. “I don’t want you to think that I’m not trying here. I want you, and I want to keep what we have.” He was so sincere in his words that it made Kojuro’s heart skip a beat.

“I want that too,” Kojuro could barely speak. His words were coming out as a whisper.

“And I’ll, try to be more with expressing myself. Sometimes it embarrassing.” Masamune looked away as if ashamed. This took Kojuro by surprise. Masamune’s whole disposition was almost defensive despite his words. There was something about his eye, and the way he was looking at Kojuro now. He was still closed off, but there was something lurking just under the surface.

It was now that Kojuro realized that his worries about this relationship might not be the same thing that Masamune was worried about. He just spent so much time in his own head that he didn’t realize his boyfriend had issues of his own that were keeping him from fully expressing himself. He wanted to ask what it was, to ask him what was wrong, but he couldn’t. It would be unfair for him to ask for full disclosure when he wasn’t giving it himself.

But they were both acknowledging their problems. That was a step in the right direction.

It was during this time that he decide he should tell his family. Actually, that decision didn’t come until he got a call from his mother. It was one of their normal biweekly talks they have over the phone. She had brought up the question of dating and he mentioned that he was seeing someone before he could catch himself. He hadn’t meant to tell her just yet. He liked this time of privacy. Barely anyone knew they were together, it meant no constant questions.

His mother gushed over the phone. It had been a long time since he mentioned a relationship in his life. She said that it must be serious! Kojuro told her that he did like the guy more than some of the guys he’d seen in the past, but he still wasn’t sure where this was going.

The one he told willingly was his older sister, Kita. He asked her out to breakfast when so they could talk. She took the invitation eagerly. They met at one of their favorite café. He let her lead the conversation at first. She was excited about her recent promotion and had all these stories about her roommate.

“I swear that woman would eat a whole package of cottage cheese if you don’t watch her. She sleep walks and eats everything. It’s killing our budget. I have to stash food where she can’t find it, just so we can eat.”

“It sounds like you have it pretty well handled.”

“It’s a nightmare. I have to put her wallet somewhere or she’ll order pizza while she’s half awake.”

“There are places that deliver that late?”

“That’s what I said!”

Kojuro chuckled.

“Don’t laugh. I come into the kitchen each morning and it’s a mess from whatever she’s gotten into. Half eaten peanut butter jars, cheese puffs everywhere, and I think she’s eating raw eggs. It’s so weird.”

“You never have a normal roommate.”

“She’s normal in almost every other aspect. I’ll take her over the tree whisperer any day.” She took a sip of her water. “But I’m gonna guess you’re tired of hearing my woes. I mean, if you called me out here instead of just telling me about whatever it is over the phone.”

“No, keep going.” He smiled. “I could listen to another crazy story.”

“Just tell me instead of stalling.”

His smiled became strained as nervousness set in. He wasn’t sure why he always became shy when talking about these kinds of things. He already told his mom. This shouldn’t be any worse.

“I met someone.” He tried to shrug.

“Name?”

“Masamune.”

“Keep talking. There’s got to be more to it if you of all people got me out here at ten am on a Saturday. What’s so great about this guy?”

“We’ve been together for a little over six months,” He lied. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her that he hadn’t told her after so much time had passed.

“That’s a pretty long time to be with someone and not say anything to anyone. Did you tell Mom yet?”

“By accident.”

“So is this just a glorified booty call that you got feelings for or what?”

“No, it started out serious. Our schedules weren’t cohesive so we’ve only really seen each other on and off.”

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” She said ideally. “Come on. Tell me more. You’re obviously itching to talk about him with someone. Is that why you called me. Sasuke got tired of listening to you gushing over him?”

“It’s not like that. I just…I think things are actually going somewhere and I wanted to let you know.”

“Am I going to meet him?”

“Eventually.”

“Eventually?”

“He’s kind of worried about it.” He lied. “I told him that my family was okay with me being with another man, but he’s skeptical. I guess he had some…less than amazing incidents with a few of his boyfriends in the past.” He was still lying. Masamune never really talked much about his past boyfriends. But Kojuro needed some excuse to cover up his insecurities. 

“Poor thing. Do you want me to meet him before Mom and Dad do, warm him up?”

“Maybe.”

“Is he that nervous?”

“Yeah. And I am too, it’s just… you know.”

“Not really. You’re doing a poor job of explaining the situation.”

“I know.” He ran his fingers through his hair.

“So…what is it about him that you guys think is going to be a point of contention?”

“He comes from a different walk of life. It’s complicated to explain. You’ll understand when you meet him.”

“You’re not even going to show me a picture of him? What are you hiding?”

Kojuro took a sip of his drink to buy time.

“I’m just not sure how this will go.”     

And now, after his family had met Masamune, he knew exactly how it would go. His parents were ashamed of him and thought he was some sort of gold-digger. He couldn’t understand why they didn’t take the time to listen to him. The more he thought about it the angrier he became. But as always, that anger melted away and showed its true form.

Sadness. Betrayal. He could feel himself falling back into that hole. If it had been anyone else he would be able to shake it off, but his mother had looked at him with such disgust. And all those emotions that he had been bottling up for years were coming to the surface.

He tried to stop the tears he could feel brewing from escaping. He refused to cry. Only a sob broke past his lips. He was trying to be quiet so he wouldn’t wake Masamune up. He managed to pull himself together.

And for all that, there was suddenly an arm draping over his waist as Masamune embraced him the best he could from this position. Masamune’s forehead rested against his back.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Was all Masamune said. He wouldn’t push for an explanation. He trusted Kojuro to tell him when he was ready. Until then, he would be a pillar for him to lean on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot that I already had this chapter prepped and ready to go. Sorry, I'm just getting around to posting this. We got three chapters left before we get to the conclusion. Thanks for sticking around and I hope you look forwards to the next few chapters!
> 
> Thanks for reading. And thank you for all the kudos and comments. I love hearing what you guys think!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Katakura's continue to help prep for Christmas. Masamune is finding it to be a bit overwhelming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to the present! Yah! And we're switching it up and going to Masamune's point of view for a bit!

Masamune had almost been asleep when he heard Kojuro crying. It alarmed him for obvious reasons, but more so because Kojuro wasn’t a crier. He dealt with things when they upset him. He wouldn’t let himself get so worked up that he became debilitated by the situation.

He couldn’t get Kojuro to talk about it, so he held him through the night. Sometimes the presence of someone being there is enough to help calm people down. So, despite that he hated touching when trying to fall asleep, he came closer and held onto his partner.

Somewhere in the middle of the night, Kojuro had turned over so he could cling to Masamune. It looked ridiculous if one were to see them. There wasn’t a big difference in height, but Kojuro was bigger in physical build. He looked massive when wrapped around Masamune’s smaller frame. He kept a grip on Masamune that he couldn’t move. So, of course, Masamune was the first one to wake up and find himself stuck. Kojuro’s hot morning breath fanning over his face.

He didn’t want to wake the man up since he had a bad night, but damn it this didn’t suck. Five more minutes, he would give him five more minutes before he tried to shake him awake. But, God, that seemed like an eternity. Kojuro shifted in his sleep, making his hold on Masamune tighter. It made it a bit difficult to breathe unless he turned his head a certain way. But the strain was killing his neck and he wouldn’t be able to do this for much longer.

“Kojuro it’s time to wake up,” he wiggled, trying to free his hand so he could tap the other man on his shoulder.

“Five more minutes.”                                           

Masamune sighed. He figured that Kojuro wouldn’t want to get up right away. Grant it, Kojuro wasn’t a morning person, but he should make an attempt to get up. Right now he was pulling Masamune in closer and had no intent of letting ago.

“Remember, we have a guest,” Masamune put those hours in the gym to use as he sat up without the support of his arms. Kojuro was dragged up with him until he finally decided to let go. Masamune looked back down to where Kojuro was now laying. The older man looked miffed.

“They know where everything is,” Kojuro said.

“Was it that bad?” Masamune asked. He only caught parts of last night conversation. All he heard were hush voices and the occasional escalation. But for all that, no one ever yelled or spoke loud enough for their voices to carry on the upper floors.

“I don’t want to have to deal with them today.”

“Then get some rest,” Masamune started to slide out of the bed. Someone had to make breakfast. He was unsuccessful when an arm wrapped around his waist and stopped his movements.

“I don’t want you to have to deal with them either,” Kojuro mumbled.

“I’ll be fine,” Masamune said. “I’m a big boy now. I can handle myself.” He regretted saying that because this dark look passed over Kojuro’s face. It passed but that wasn’t the point. There was clearly something wrong.

“Kojuro…”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Masamune was familiar with these moods. They happened a lot when they first got together. For a while, Kojuro was a bit distant and tentative. He would start to pull away and brood before coming back with a new found passion. It was always concerning.

“Alright,” he ran his fingers through Kojuro’s hair. “At least let me make breakfast then? I’ll tell them that you’re sleeping in. How does that sound?”

“No, I’ll get up.” The pile of blankets was starting to move. “I’ll help.”

Masamune smiled to himself. At least Kojuro was up and moving.

Though, Masamune soon came to understand what Kojuro was so worried about. By the time the food was done, and everyone was sitting and eating the atmosphere was tense. There were a few attempts of strained small talk, but nothing that was an actual conversation. Kita was the one person trying to keep things going. She would get one person to talk and try and drag someone else in and make it interactive, but nothing was working.

“Masamune, what did your family normally do on Christmas Eve,” Kita asked.

That was what today was huh? Christmas Eve. Part of him wanted to explain exactly what he did on the holidays. The other part of him knew this wasn’t the time or place. So instead he shrugged and made something up. There was one part about giving cookies and candy to carolers. He mentioned something about his mom helping him and his brother make cookies for Santa.

Normal things like that got people to stop asking questions. Out of now where the hair on the back of his neck raised. He instinctually knew he was being watched, but that didn’t make any scene. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and found Kojuro was looking at him, questioning the authenticity of the story. Kojuro could always tell when he was lying despite how good he was at it.

“Sounds like fun.” Kita smiled. “Just chocolate chip cookies or…”

“Sugar cookies.” Masamune interrupted her as if he was retelling a story. “My mom would make frosting someand my brother could decorate them. We did it up until middle school when we found out that Santa wasn’t real. “

“That’s always heart crushing. Kagetsuna never believed, so when Mom finally told us he didn’t shed a tear.”

“That’s Kojuro for ya.” Masamune caught Kojuro’s eye and smiled. He could still see the puzzled look on the man’s face but ignored it. He knew Kojuro wouldn’t ask a question. If he thought there might be a lie in the story he wouldn't interrogate with his parents his parents around.

He made sure to be enthusiastic as he talked. He’d practice this kind of thing for years. It came second nature to him. He could improvise a story at the drop of the hat. Then he would commit it to memory so he could tell it again in flawless detail. Flawless because he knew how to trip over details and not sound like he was reciting the story. He knew how to place events in front of other before backtracking like he messed up the timeline. “Maybe next time we can get both families together, even if it’s just for dinner,” Kita suggested.

Masamune hesitated and tensed just enough that it was noticeable to everyone in the room. Everyone was waiting for his response. It was only a brief pause before he answered, but the few seconds felt like an eternity to him. It was just too long for everyone to overlook.

“Maybe,” he finally said. “My parents are divorced. It makes family gatherings a little tense.” In this case, the truth was the best route. He didn’t have to explain everything this way. If they ask about what happen he would just say that he never got the full details of the divorce. All he knew was that they split when he was younger and he ended up living with his father.

Kita was nice about it. She smiled as if she understood. He relaxed now. He thinks that Kita may be warming up to him, or at least is nice enough to not be outwardly hostile towards him. She wasn’t passing judgment yet. She let him talk and act before she made a decided what she thought about him.

“I was just asking cause Kojuro said he already met your family.” She didn’t hide her confused tone. She wasn’t demanding answers outright, but there was a quiet demand for an explanation.

“He did. He met my dad and my uncle a few months ago.” Masamune said. “My mother is a bit harder to track down. She travels a lot in her free time now in days.”

“Sounds fun,” Kita nodded. “If I could travel like that I would. Have you ever gone with her?”

“I,” Damn! He hadn’t been expecting that kind of a question. He can’t make up trips. He’d seen other people try that and it never went well. It didn’t help that he heard his voice give a bit too much and his eye widens just a little too wide as he said. “I’m always busy whenever she ask me. The school takes up a lot of my time.”

“Alright,” Kojuro’s mother interjected. “I have to start prep for dinner today if you want to eat at a decent time tomorrow. Soshoo, out of my kitchen.”

“Technically it’s my kitchen,” Kojuro huffed as he got up.

“You sure you don’t want any help?” Masamune asked. “I can at least clean the breakfast mess up.”

“No, I got it.” She insisted.

“There’s no point in arguing with her,” Kita was dragging Masamune along. “Just let her do her thing.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s her way of making sure we don’t screw this up,” Kojuro added.

“You burn a pie one time and now you’re not allowed in the kitchen.” Kita shrugged.

Masamune snorted and shook his head. “I take it you’ve had some kitchen disasters in the past.”

“It wasn’t even that big of a fire.” Kita rolled her eyes.

“I want to hear this story,” Masamune declared as he flopped on the couch.

“Alright,” Kita sat next to him. “So Mom was tried and asked us to do dessert right. It was a frozen pie so I read the directions, popped it in the oven and the next thing I knew there was a small fire at the bottom of the oven. It didn’t take me that long to put it out…”

“No, no that’s not how it happened,” Kojuro interrupted with a gleam in his eyes. He was grinning mischievously as Kita protested what he said. She demanded that Masamune not listens to him because he was lying.

“Here’s what happen,” Kojuro said through a few chuckles. “So Mom was tired and she asked me and Kita to help. I had to clean the dining room and Kita had to put in the pies. A completely unfair trade.”

“You agreed to it,” Kita reminded him.   

“It doesn’t change the fact that you tricked a nine-year-old into cleaning a whole room while you just had to put a pie in the oven.” Kojuro frowned.

“I’m a bit curious about how she talked you into it?” Masamune interjected.

“The point is,” Kojuro continued with the story. “All she had to do was preheat the oven and put the pie in. You know the warning on the box that says to take the plastic wrap off the pie? She’s the living embodiment for the reason of that warning. She put the pie in and left the plastic on…”

“Don’t say it like that!” Kita huffed and tried to cover Kojuro’s mouth as she kept on talking. “I missed a piece of plastic on the edge of the pan.”

“And almost set the house on fire.” Kojuro shook his head still laughing.

“It was an accident,” Kita insisted.

Masamune had been snickering the whole time. This was a side of Kojuro he had never seen before. Don’t get him wrong, he’s seen him playful, but this was different. There was a familiarity between the sibling that allowed him to be a little childish and carefree.  It was cute to watch them joke around.

“You guys are ridiculous.” He chuckled. What he said went unheard because of their bickering.

“If you’re gonna talk about the pie then I get to talk about the vacuum cleaner.”

“That was also your fault,” Kojuro snorted.

“Just because Mom believed you when you said that doesn’t make it true. I know you did it. I’m not sure how, but I know you did.” Kita squinted accusingly.

“I did nothing. It’s not my fault you didn’t check to see if the bag was full.” Kojuro shrugged and leaned back against the arm of the couch. He had the smallest smirk on the corner of his lips that you would miss if you didn’t know to look for it. There was no doubt in Masamune’s mind that Kojuro did it.

“Is Dad still in the kitchen?” Kita looked back to the entry way of the room.

“I think he’s ‘helping’ Mom,” Kojuro sighed.

“Helping is just another way of saying, having a serious conversation they don’t want us to hear. Which is ridiculous because we’re all adults here. If something wrong we should just talk about it instead of having hushed conversations.” Kita glanced at Kojuro for understanding. Kojuro looked away and frowned.

Masamune was missing something.

“Alright,” Kita clapped her hands together, “Out with it. How did you two meet? I want to hear the full story uncensored unless it needs to be censored. Kojuro gave me a short version a while back, but I want to hear it from the both of you.”

“All in good time,” Masamune waved it off. “Your mom is probably gonna ask at some point. It will be easier to do it when everyone is together.”

“You guys really met online and don’t have a solid story yet huh?” Kita’s brow knit together.

“Kita!” Kojuro protested.

“It’s nothing like that,” Masamune snorted. “But it’s easier to tell everyone at once. Besides, I’m pretty sure your mom is dying to hear the story first.”

“Yeah, she is,” Kita laughed. “She’s a bit of a romantic if you can’t tell.”

“I had a feeling,” Masamune admitted. He smiled softly looking at the decorated tree. The lights were off but it still managed to shine and become the center of attention of the room. The only thing that was missing were the presents under the tree. He wasn’t sure if they should put them out now or later. Maybe they put them out at night or something like that. He didn’t know how these things work.

“I love this time of year too,” Kita pat him on the back. She must have been trying to read his mood and came to the wrong conclusion. He really couldn’t remember a time when he was able to celebrate the holidays normally, if he ever had. When he was old enough to remember what they were like, it wasn’t anything to look forwards to.

“It’s peaceful,” Masamune agreed. “Even if you don’t celebrate it, it’s nice this time of year, if you’re not working customer service.” He glanced at her with a small smirk, proud of his joke.

“Don’t get me started on that,” Kita flopped against the couch. And with that Masamune had successfully diverted attention away from himself.  “I made the mistake of working at the mall this one winter and it was hell! I’m not even joking…”

She went on a rant and Kojuro sighed as if he heard this a thousand times. Masamune gave him an apologetic smile as he situated himself for what he could tell was going to be a long talk. But Masamune enjoyed it. It had been a long time since he’s ever been able to submerge himself in this kind of atmosphere. It was nice! Even when Kojuro’s dad joined them and things became tense, it wasn’t nearly as bad as he was used to.

All he could do was listen as the family exchanged antidotes. They were talking about things that he had only dreamed of. Family trips and vacation, sibling’s battle, cute family moments that sounded like a fantasy. It all seemed so picture perfect despite its imperfection. He couldn’t even bring himself to throw in his fake stories. He wanted to listen and self-imposed himself and live through them.

He wanted to have a doting mother, a sibling who was constantly trying to get his attention. He wanted a dad who gave him praise, even if he was distant. He wanted that trust and security that came with a normal family.

Normality is all he ever wanted. So many people told him that there was no such thing as a normal, perfect family. They said that because they had one and didn’t know it. It was normal to fight, and not get along. It was normal to disappoint your parents and to have that one weird yet loveable relative. It was normal to have stories of almost setting the house on fire. It was normal for your parents to embarrass you in public. And it was perfect. It was a place where you were loved and safe no matter what.

“So then Kojuro starts freaking out because he thinks there’s a bear.” Kita was in stitches as she continued with one of the stories from their camping trips. “And he screams for Mom.”

“I was six by the way,” Kojuro reminded her.

“But Dad figured out what I did so I got in trouble.” She was still letting out full belly laughs as she tried to get herself together. “But you should have seen him. I’ve never seen him run so fast.”

“It wasn’t funny,” Kojuro protested pushing her with his foot. Masamune tried not to snicker as he rubbed Kojuro’s shoulder to comfort him. His heart went out to the six-year-old Kojuro who had been so scared he ran to his parent's tent. But the flustered looked on Kojuro’s face was enough to leave him amused.

“What about you?” Kita asked. She seemed aware that she tended to monopolize the conversation. She tried to include everyone the best she could.

“We didn’t go on vacation that often,” That was a truth.

“I thought you guys were loaded?” Kojuro’s dad spoke up.

“Yeah but, we didn’t travel that much. My dad did for business, but that was about it.” Masamune wasn’t going to go into detail. He only felt guilty when Kojuro gave him an expectant look. He was only able to answer with a shy smile. Kojuro frowned when he figured out that Masamune wasn’t going to say anything more.

Kita went right back to telling another story that had been on the tip of her tongue. Apparently, they had broken a kitchen window and hid it from their parents for a week. It seemed unreal that they had been able to do so, but something that ridiculous had to be real.

Their mom came into the room in the middle of the story. Kita filled her in on what they were talking about and he watched in amazement as their mom shook her head. She was mumbling under her breath about how she wasn’t sure how they did that.

Then Kojuro’s dad located the remote and turned on the T.V. He flicked through the channels until he found one of those cheesy Christmas specials. He settled for one of those weird clay animation movies. Masamune had never seen these movies. When he wasyoungerhe never got to watch them. Now as an adult, he just never had time, and could never bring himself to do it.

He only ever heard about Rudolf and his struggle with his red nose. He became engrossed in the story as he watched the other reindeer being dicks for no reason. He leaned against the arm of the couch as he watches the poor thing get yelled at by his dad for being himself and…

“Have you never seen this?” Kita’s voice pulled him back to reality.

“What?” And fuck, he wasn’t sure how to respond to this. He wanted to look to Kojuro for help. The onlyproblemwas he never filledhis lover in on what was going on with him when it came to the holidays. It shouldn’t be something major. It shouldn’t be something that he felt the need to hide, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth.

“Is this your first time seeing this?” Kita asked gently. He must look like a deer caught in the head lights if she was being this nice. Or it was because all eyes were on him.

“No, it’s just been a while,” the lie came smoothly as he put his attention back to the T.V. “It takes me back.”

“Can’t believe the animation was that horrible huh?” Kita looked at the T.V as well.

“It is shit, and the storytelling could use some work but, I enjoyed it as a kid. Now it’s just…brings back good memories.” He realized that he shouldn’t have cussed in front of Kojuro’s parents, but it was too late to try and clean up his language.

“Which one was your favorite?” Kojuro’s mother asked him.

“Frosty the Snowman,” Masamune picked the one he knew the most about. He had only seen the movie once when he was in school and the teachers played it during the class Christmas party. There was also the small coloring book his brother had slipped him that illustrated the story. But that had been before they had their falling out.

Kojuro was the one who took the remote next and found the movie of Masamune’s desire on Netflix. He had to fight back a smile as he leaned against Kojuro’s side. This was nice. The family sitting together and exchanging small jokes and comments. Kita would urgently tap on Kojuro saying, “remember this part!”  Kojuro had his arm securely wrapped around Masamune. The parents would laugh at them as the smell of pies filled the house.

This was perfect.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more chapters left! I think you guys are gonna hate me for what comes next and how this is all gonna end buuuut I hope you all enjoy the ride until then. I'm a bit behind with editing, so my posting schedule is a bit off. The last chapter won't be on Christmas but it should be around that time. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think ^^


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally figure out what's up with Masamune, but will he tell Kojuro?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tags apply to this chapter.

Masamune frowned as he looked at the lopsided cookie he had just made. He had found that he wasn’t good at making cookies. He was better at frosting and decorating. He liked doing the decorations with the sugar sprinkles instead of trying to draw with the icing bags.

He focused on getting it right. Not because he was invested in these cookies, but because being busy kept him distracted.  Today and yesterday had been spent with him having to force a smile. He tried to act as if everything was alright for the sake of the Katakura’s. He wasn’t sure how much he spent on lights and decorations so the others family holiday could nice.

He didn’t like that all this stuff was invading his space and forcing him to face reality. He had mentally prepared himself for bullshitting his way through this whole ordeal, now he couldn't remember the lies he had practiced. Would it be easier to come clean and just admit that he didn’t get to take part in the holidays the way normal people do? Yes. Did he feel like turning the attention on himself as the Katakura’s showered him in pity? No.

Now on top of everything, there was some sort of feud going on within the family, which he had no idea of how to deal with it. It didn’t help that he didn’t know what it was about. He only caught part of the conversation, and Kojuro wouldn’t tell him what happened. Then again, it wasn’t like Masamune could talk. If it was important, Kojuro would say something.

He was figuring out that he was wrong. There was something important that Kojuro wasn’t telling him. It left Masamune unsure how to proceed, like he was walking on eggshells. He wanted to fade into the background, but that was impossible. The family’s main purpose for coming was to meet him, and even right now he was supposed to be entertaining a conversation. He was too caught up in his own head to pay attention to what was going on. He found himself having to revert back to his default method to show he was paying attention: he stuck to occasional eye contact, nodding, laughing and giving a small snort here and there. 

“Really determined to get that cookie right huh?” Kita asked. Either she stopped mid-story or she had finished talking. Masamune couldn’t be sure.

“Trying my best. I’ve always sucked at this, though,” Masamune gave a sheepish smile.

“Don’t get put in charge of decorating that often?” Kita smiled sweetly.                                           

“Lack of depth perception.” He tapped his eyepatch to emphasize what he was saying.

And another thing: he thinks Kita is on to him. Her questions are innocent and well placed, but they’re also crafty. He knows how to get around this kind of thing. He’s not too worried about her, but having to word his answers with care was becoming exhausting. He didn’t know if he could hold this façade up the rest of their visit, much less until tomorrow.

Tomorrow was Christmas. He was just praying that everyone would be too caught up in the now to ask him questions. As long as he stayed on his toes, he could make it through this.

He re-adjusted the icing bag in his hands and got back to work. It was hard to keep his eye on the cookies with the lights from the tree flashing in his peripheral vision. He looked up at it and managed not to scowl. He wanted nothing more than to unplug the dumb thing, but he knows that you’re supposed to have it on the day before Christmas. It was some kind of a rule.

“Pretty ain't it?” Kita leaned next to him by the counter.

He nodded sneaking a peek around. Kojuro’s mother was busy by the sink and Kojuro and his dad were gone.

“Kojuro is helping Dad sneak some presents in,” Kita whispered.

“Oh,” Masamune shrugged. “I kind of figured he didn’t go far.”

Kita was the one to nod this time. She let the silence stew for a bit until she just came out and asked, “Are you alright?”

Masamune felt his neck snap to look at her before he could stop himself. He tried to clean it up by saying, “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“No reason. It’s just, sometimes you get this look on your face. It’s nothing bad, but you look, I think the word I’m looking for is troubled. Kojuro noticed it too.”

“I’m fine,” Masamune let a smile slide over his face. “Trust me I’m all good. What could I even be troubled about?”

For a second it looked like she was about to say something. Instead, she just shrugged before she let the subject drop. He was grateful for that, but now he had to try and stop his inner panic. He was caught. In one way or another, she was catching on.

“You do look troubled dear.” Kojuro’s mother was suddenly paying attention to him as well. Maybe he wasn’t as good as an actor as he thought he was. She was asking if he was okay, and he kept on insisting that he was. Then Kojuro came back in from setting presents under the tree with his dad. His mother informed him of what was going on.

“What’s wrong?” Kojuro crossed the kitchen briskly to check him over.

“I’m fine,” Masamune found himself saying it yet again.

“You’ve been kind of off all day.” Kojuro lowered if voice as if doing so would make this a private conversation. It didn’t; everyone was still within earshot.

“I’m fine.” Masamune put a gentle hand on Kojuro’s arm.

“Masamune?” Kojuro’s eyes were filled with nothing but worry and concern for him.

“It’s just, things are a bit different from before.” Masamune lowered his voice to a true whisper so only Kojuro could hear him. The others could only hear ever three words or so. “My family didn’t do that much so this is all kind of new.” He let a bit of the truth slip out so he could make this go away.

“You sure?”

“That’s all.” Masamune gave a soft smile that boarded on amusement. He told Kojuro he was silly for thinking anything else.

Kojuro frowned but let it go.

Dear Lord, he wasn’t sure he was going to make it through this. Maybe after Christmas, the stay would be easier. It was probably just the holidays getting to him. It was the most reasonable thing he could think of.

Eventually, Masamune was shooed into the living room after a while. He got stuck sitting next to Kita, who also failed at cookie decorating. She didn’t attempt to make small talk. Opting instead to put on Olive the Other Reindeer and sat back against the couch.

Masamune took it as a mental break and focused on the movie.  It was getting near the end when everyone had filtered into the living room with milk and cookies. Correction, there was cookies and hot chocolate. 

Kojuro squeezed between Masamune and the arm of the couch. He let his arm wrap around Masamune’s waist.  He sipped his hot chocolate and kept his gaze on the Christmas tree. It was easy to get caught up in watching the lights twinkle and sparkle against the pine. The whole room took on colored spots that flickered and danced on the walls and furniture.

He wondered if this was what the living room of his family home looked like.

The whole room oozed Christmas. Yet, he was as uncomfortable here as he was in the kitchen. It must be the atmosphere. Or maybe it was because the hours were creeping closer and closer to…

“It’s midnight!” Kita beamed “Merry Christmas everyone!”

Everyone replied with a “Merry Christmas,” of their own. Masamune hadn’t been expecting it, so his reply was delayed.

“Kojuro didn’t tell you?” Kita was all smiles.

“Tell me what?” Masamune looked around him to see if any of the Katakura’s were going to give him an answer.

“We all get to open one present.”  Kojuro clarified for him. “But only at midnight. It’s a family tradition.”

“Oh,” Masamune nodded. “That’s all? You made it sound like it was going to be something more serious.”

“No, it’s not. It’s just something fun,” Kojuro reassured him.

Kita was already on the floor selecting a gift. It was almost cute how childlike she could become over the idea of opening a simple present. Then again, he wasn’t sure if he could talk. He’d never gotten excited over opening Christmas presents. But he still remembered how giddy he got when Kojuro gave him a present for his birthday. Kojuro had given him a ridiculous smile as he gushed over the wrapped box he had been handed.

So he could understand to some point what everyone was so excited about.

“Open mine,” Kojuro had gotten off the couch and tossed him a small wrapped box. Masamune caught it and felt his heart hammering in his chest when he saw the size of the box. Please, don’t let Kojuro be proposing to him in front of his family. It’s not that he’s not committed, but this was not the time of year for this kind of thing. He didn’t want to associate their engagement with the holiday.

All eyes were on him as he started to peel back the paper. It revealed what he feared, a jewelry box. He looked up at Kojuro with apprehension as he got the last bit of the paper off. He took a deep breath right before he opened the box.

He broke into a smile when he saw what was inside. He can’t even be to explain how relieved he was. Inside the box was a dragon-shaped earring rather than a ring.

“Do you like it?” Kojuro asked.

“I love it,” Masamune managed to smile as he took it out to get a better look at it. It was made to wrap around his ear like it as clinging to him.

“I thought you would,” Kojuro was all smiles. “I saw it in the store a bit after your birthday so decided to make it a Christmas present.

Masamune was too busy in his own head to notice what the others were doing. Kojuro always put thought into anything he did for Masamune. He was more than touched. Sure Masamune referred to himself as a dragon a few times, but there was no way that Kojuro knew what that meant to him.

He had to wipe his eye before he started to tear up in front of everyone.

“You alright?” Kojuro asked quietly as he sat next to him.

“Yeah,” he nodded firmly. “I’m alright,” He looked over to Kojuro, “Thank you.”

“I’ll see you guys in a few hours,” Kita yawned as she went towards the stairs. She was sporting a new pair of socks that she had just gotten. His parents bid them goodnight as well. It left Kojuro and Masamune in the living room by themselves.

Masamune snuggled into Kojuro, letting the older man wrap both arms around him and hold him close. They were flush with each other as they lounged on the couch. taking up most of the space since they were practically laying down.

Kojuro had a hand gently stroking through Masamune’s hair. This was nice. The lights were dancing off the walls and over the furniture. Presents were lined up under the tree. The house smelled of cinnamon and warmth. The whole atmosphere felt surreal to him.

And he knows he was the one making the big push to decorate and get the tree and, but now it was getting to him. The scene was pulling at vague memories from his childhood. Things he couldn’t quite remember. Those first five years of happiness before things went downhill and…

“You okay?” Kojuro asked him. “You’re a bit tense.”

“I’m alright,” Masamune mumbled. He didn’t feel like talking about it. How was he supposed to even begin to explain to Kojuro why all this was starting to bother him? He didn’t want to be a downer.

“Masamune?”

He didn’t answer. He simply snuggled into Kojuro more.

He didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t want to explain that his earliest memory of the holiday was being locked in his room. His mother and brother would be celebrating downstairs. His father hadn’t been able to come home that year. If he had, Masamune would have been allowed to celebrate as well. By the time he was six, he knew he wasn’t supposed to let his dad know what was going on.

If he put up a fuss when his dad was about to go on a business trip, then he might find a way to get out of it or come home early. Other than that, he was on his own. For years he was left to fend for himself. He was a skinny kid growing up only because his mom hardly allowed him to eat. Sometimes his little brother, Masamichi, would sneak him food.

They had gotten caught during the exchange once and his mom shrieked. She wanted to keep them separated so that Masamichi wouldn’t be tainted by him. It’s why he spent most of his time locked away. Since she wasn’t able to put a lock on the outside of the door, he wasn’t really locked away. So she would stuff him in the closet and lock that instead.

At first, it wasn’t so bad. It was dark and small. Once night settled in, no light peeked out from under the door. That was when he would start to get scared, start to pound on the door and beg to be let out. The first time he was only screaming for a few hours before the door was yanked opened and he was dragged out. It was also the first time she had hit him. It was a sharp slap to the left side of his face. He heard it more than he felt it at first. The crack sounded loudly through the empty halls of the mansion and echoed. His head snapped to the side and he was dazed before the sting settled in and he started to cry.

It was the beginning of the end.

He took it in stride. Some part of him was content that it was him and not his little brother. His mother was unpredictable and there was no way to tell what she was going to do next. If it meant keeping the attention on himself and taking an extra kick or two, he would do it. But as time passed he realized that Masamichi was never in danger. Masamichi was her world. She catered to his every need, pampered and babied him.

At the age of eight, he wasn’t sure what to do with this kind of information. He knows that she would yell at him through each beating. She told him how much she hated him, that he was a monster, about how she wished he would die. That had been bad enough, but resentment was starting to rear its ugly head whenever he saw them.

Masamichi stopped trying to help him after a while. He hated him just as much.

But when his dad came home, things were peaceful. She went back to that kind and gentle demeanor.

“How did you get this bruise?” His dad asked him on one occasion. It was a mark on his arm in the shape of a hand. It was clear he had been grabbed by someone much bigger than him. But if he told on his mom, then he would be the one to reap the consequences. So he lied and told him it was one of the bigger kids in school.

Years, he put up with this for years. It wasn’t until he was fifteen that his dad started to wise up and ask more questions. It had more to do with Masamune’s behavior than his mother: he was becoming more and more aggressive as time went on. His grades were dropping, and he was acting out. The final straw had been when he got into a fight with Toyotomi, the biggest kid in school. He doesn’t remember what it was about, and he wasn’t even the one to pick the fight, he was just tired of being pushed around and this guy thinking he could tell him what to do just because he was bigger.

His childhood friend, Yukimura, later told him that he fought like a demon.

“It was scary. I’ve never seen you like that.” Yukimura frowned. To Masamune, it made sense. He was, in fact, a monster. So, of course, he would fight like one.

His dad, however, didn’t have time to talk about it because he was either in the office or on a trip. This time he had to go for three weeks. It would be the longest he had ever been gone for a trip. Masamune was sure that with that amount of time, that his mom would kill him. 

She wasted no time. Once his dad was out of the driveway she told Masamichi to go to his room while she made dinner.  Masamune was sure that he was about to go into the closet but she told him to stay put. She didn’t talk to him for the first few minutes, she just went to work on dinner, cutting veggies and meat. But Masamune knew not drop his guard. He had learned to sense her moods at an early age, and she was going to lash out at him soon.

She started talking about how she was disappointed in his grades and his behavior. Her tone was sweet, like she was actually concerned for him. Then she went on to explain that she didn’t know what she was expecting from something like him. Even the beating he had given Toyotomi was something she always knew he was capable of. But, now she was walking towards him, knife still in hand.

“But now you’re becoming everyone’s problem. I can’t have you running around and starting trouble because I couldn’t contain you.”

He kept his eyes low, not on the knife, but on her body. He watched for the way she would move and her arms flexed so he knew what she was about to do and when.

It did him no good. He wasn’t sure how he ended up on the floor. There was a lot of crashing and banging as things tipped over. This wasn’t like the other times, and even though he had been expecting this, he wasn’t ready to die. He found himself fighting for his life, which meant trying to fend her off as she beat and stabbed at him. It was pointless, he hadn't even made it to the living room and he was already crawling and getting nowhere fast.

Calling for help did no good. No one was close enough to hear him and he knew Masamichi wouldn’t do anything.

She straddles his chest to keep him pinned. He held the knife with both hands as she hovered over him, and she was crying. She kept talking some sort of gibberish to explain why she had to kill him and why she had to do this.

It was funny in a way. She was crying for Masamune. He could have fought her off from the beginning of this fight, but was unable to defend himself. He took on the biggest kid in school a few hour ago and won, but he couldn’t hit this tiny woman. Because she was still his mom, and there some part of him that couldn’t bring himself to hurt her. So many years of being controlled by fear and intimidation had rendered him powerless.

The knife was over his face. He watched it and realized this wasn’t even going to be quick. She was going to draw this out. The first few stabs were at his right eye, but she didn’t commit to it. None of them were deep enough to do real damage to anything but his eye.

He knows that he’s screaming each time the blade punched his eyeball. Blood was coming out in great gouts. It was excruciating and at the same time, it felt like he was hovering over his body as it happened, like the shock wouldn’t let his mind process what was happening to him.

Then it was over. There was a lot of commotion as two men in uniform pulled her off of him, and the next thing he remembered was being in the hospital. His dad was at his side, holding his hand as he came back to the world. Masamichi was there was well, perched in a chair on the other side of the room.

“You’re gonna be okay,” his dad promised him.

They didn’t go back home after that. A lot of his mother’s trial had taken place while he was recovering. His dad wanted to do things so Masamune wouldn’t have to be in the same room with her. By the time Masamune healed enough to talk, his mom’s lawyers had come up with some sort of mental insanity plea. For the rich, that means a few months of psychiatric care before she was released and able to back to her normal life.  It didn’t take much for her to even show she was “capable of caring for children.”

The divorce was already in the process of being written up. His dad spent most of his time at Masamune’s bedside. Masamune didn’t talk much after he first woke up; he couldn’t bring himself to answer his father’s questions. Why didn’t you tell me? How long has she been doing this? What else has she done? He couldn’t handle it if he were to try explain it.

By the end of everything, He was living with his dad and Masamichi went with his mom.

They were in a nearby hotel for a while. His dad was constantly on the phone and online trying to find a new place. Masamune didn’t pay much attention to it: he was more content to just lay on the bed and pretend like he had died that day. It was easier than having to deal with the sympathetic looks from his dad or the bombardment of text messages from his friends. He already posted on his social media page that he was okay, he didn’t feel the need to answer any more questions.

His uncle took them in. Mogami was Masamune’s mother’s older brother. Masamune had only met him a few times but he never had a bad experience with him, so he tried to keep an open mind. He spent a lot of time with the  man now since his dad was still finishing up some legal work. The cops had to go with him to get their things from the house. It should have been one of the first things they did, but by the time they got around to it, a few months had passed and most of Masamune’s things had been thrown away. 

“I’m sorry,” His dad hugged him as he apologized. He rocked him like he was a child. It wasn’t that Masamune didn’t appreciate it, he just didn’t care otherwise. He had been expecting his mom to be spiteful. The fact that he got anything back was a miracle.

“But I did manage to save one thing.” His dad rummaged through the few boxes that contained Masamune’s things. He produced a small stuffed dragon. It was one of the ones his dad had gotten him on one of his trips.

Masamune had gone through a dragon phase when he was four. Everything was dragons! From his bed to the wallpaper, to his pajamas. After a while, his dad started to call him a dragon, it was his other childhood nickname. It stuck, and he still sometimes refers to himself as one.

This toy was one of the first items that he had gotten that was dragon related. It brought a smile to his face when he saw it. He had wised up enough when he was seven to know he needed to hide it from his mom. Sometimes she would just go to his room and take things. So he had stuck this one between the headboard of the bed and the wall.

By the time Masamune was starting to settle into this new lifestyle, he caught the tail end of his uncle and dad talking. He was supposed to be in bed, but he had snuck out a bit earlier and was just getting back in through his bedroom window. He was on his way to the bathroom when he heard them.

“I just don’t want him to have to be in that kind of situation,” he heard his father sigh.

“I know you mean well Terumune, but maybe you should ask him if he wants to go. He is almost an adult.” Mogami advised. “These kinds of meetings will happen over his lifetime. We can’t just make them both estranged from each other.”

“I know,” Terumune sounded worn out. “But she’ll bring the other two, and from what I heard things are going well with them and I’m not sure how well Masamune will take it.”

“There’s no good way to find out about it, if that’s what you mean.” Mogami was shuffling around the kitchen as he spoke, probably making tea. “Tell him what the situation is and let him decide for himself. If he doesn’t want to go, then he and I can just make the most of the weekend while you see the family.”

“I don’t want to leave him here if he decides not to. I don’t want him to feel shafted from…”

“When was the last time you saw your mother?” Mogami interrupted him. “He won’t take it personally if you want to see your family. These reunions only come around once every few years, and your mother flew all the way out here so she could see you.”

“I know.”

“Talk to him. See what he wants to do and take it from there.”

Masamune shrugged it off. He had forgotten about the family reunion, and truly, he didn’t care if he did or didn’t go. None of the kids in the family were around his age, so it made these get togethers boring. He didn’t have time to dote on that thought though, because he could hear his dad starting to come this way. He cursed under his breath as he tried to make a quiet mad dash towards his room.

“Why are you fully dressed?” His father’s voice sounded behind him.

He was caught.

Masamune turned around to give a sheepish smile. He had no real explanation. He didn’t sneak out to get into trouble or anything, just, sometimes he got restless and had to get up and do something. So he would go for a walk. It was no further than a block or two, and then he would come right back, but his dad disapproved because it was already dark out.

It’s why it came as no surprise when his dad put him into one of those intervention programs. It wasn’t anything drastic, just some sort of Big Brother, Big Sister kind of thing. He didn’t try to be difficult with the people he was assigned to, but he didn’t like any of them. He hated when the girls talked down to him or when the guys tried to act cool.

In the midst of all this, his dad finally sat him down and asked him about the reunion.

“Why would I not want to go?” Masamune asked. No one had really explained anything to him.

“Well, Yoshi is going to be there.” Terumune had stopped referring to her as Masamune’s mother a while ago. “Masamichi got an invitation because well, he’s your brother, and the family wanted to see him. So she’s coming with him.”

“I kind of figured.” Masamune shrugged. He hadn’t seen Masamichi since that time in the hospital. He hadn’t been able to get him to text him back either, and all his calls were ignored. He was starting to think that his number had been changed.

“But,” his dad sighed, not sure how to explain this next part. “She’s had other kids since the last time we saw her, and they’ll be with her as well.”

Masamune blinked, then blinked again. His mind was slowly catching up and processing what was just said to him. He wasn’t sure why it made him so upset to hear this, but it unsettled him, pissed him off a bit.

“You have another little brother, and a sister.”

“She was able to keep them?”

“She’s hasn’t hurt them as far as we know.”

Masamune nodded. He was just turning seventeen, so those kids couldn’t be older than two or three. He kind of felt bad for them. He wasn’t sure how long until they found out there was only room in her heart for Masamichi, but they would learn. The hard way.

He didn’t go to the reunion. Instead, he spent the day with Chosokabe. He was the newest brother that he had been put with. The guy was huge! He was only two years older than Masamune and was already six feet tall. It was intimidating, but the guy wasn’t so bad. He was one of the few that didn’t talk to him like he was a child. He was trying to find some sort of a middle ground.

He hung out with Masamune outside of the program. At first, his dad or uncle would supervise the visits.  As time went on Chosokabe was as good as family, and was trusted with Masamune’s care. Sometimes he would let Masamune watch as he worked on his motorcycle.

“You want to help?”  Chosokabe always asked him. Masamune always shook his head. “Really?” But he was persistent this time. “I could use an extra hand over here.”

“You do just fine by yourself any other time,” Masamune reasoned. He twisted his shirt sleeve with his hand as he spoke.

Chosokabe looked up at him. He regarded him calmly before he asked, “Are you sure?”

“I’ll probably just ruin it if I…”

“There’s no way you could. Trust me,” Chosokabe had this way of not asking Masamune to explain himself. “Come on,” he insisted, and Masamune got up and sat next to him.

Low and behold, he didn’t break anything. They were actually able to get the thing to start that day.

“It just needs a bit more tweaking, but I think we did good for today,” Chosokabe grinned at him. Masamune found himself blushing and becoming bashful at the sudden praise. He didn’t even mind that Chosokabe was ruffling his hair.

Needless to say, Chosokabe became a positive role model in Masamune’s life. He didn’t constantly try to comfort Masamune. He did he act like he had to hold his hand through the healing process, though sometimes his concern was more than obvious.

When the holidays came around, he approached the topic with caution. He let Masamune choose if he wanted to go the Christmas party, if he wanted to come over for dinner, and if he wanted to do the Secret Santa trade that the program held. He didn’t hold it against him when he didn’t want to take part in any of it.

Terumune was a bit different. He wanted to make it up to Masamune; he wanted to give him the Christmas that he never had. But Masamune wanted nothing to do with it at this age. It just reminds him of everything that happened from the past holidays. It made Masamune regret his one moment of weakness when he broke down and explained to his dad what his holiday used to be like. He could only force a smile when his dad dragged in a tree to decorate it.

He pretended to be sick as the date got closer. It made it easier. He could stay in his room and sulk. He could shut all the sounds and laughter out in his little den. He wrapped himself in his blankets and allowed himself to feel pathetic.

He did this every year until he moved out. He found solstice in not having to be expected to be joyful. He always had an excuse for why he didn’t go to Yukimura’s annual party.

Other than that, he was doing well for himself. He was going to school without having to worry about tuition. His dad was more than willing to pay what Masamune needed until he had access to his trust fund: it gave Masamune the chance to start over and enjoy his college experience. He couldn’t lie about how much he loved to go out to parties and drink with friends. It was a celebration of life and youth.

He did more drinking than he would ever admit to. He had a chill roommate, Tokugawa, who didn’t question Masamune’s comings and goings. He later found out that he was also Chosokabe’s “little brother.” He didn’t find out until Chosokabe came on campus to visit; Masamune hadn’t been expecting those two to suddenly embrace each other with such familiarity. And for a second, he felt misplaced, and it made him truly look back at his place in the lives of the people he knew.

He didn’t have one. He was the charity case that everyone kept around out of obligation.

It’s why meeting Kojuro had been like a tailspin. Kojuro didn’t know about Masamune’s past, he didn’t feel the need to be nice to him just because of what happened to him. He didn’t ask questions. He waited for Masamune to talk to him. And Masamune knows he was curious about a few things. Kojuro sometimes stared at the eyepatch or his fingers would linger on Masamune’s fading scars.

And Masamune knew he was the main one putting the brakes on their relationship. He couldn’t bring himself to be completely honest, completely vulnerable. He was worried that once he explains the things he had done when he was younger, that Kojuro would see him for what he truly was and leave.

“Do you like him?” Chosokabe had asked him at lunch. It was the same day that he bumped into Kojuro downtown. “If you’re serious about him, then you should tell him.”

“Easier said than done,” Masamune rolled his eye as he twirled his straw between his fingers. “And it’s not like it’s that important. He could know me for years and that one little fact wouldn’t…”

“If it matters to you, then it should matter to him. You don’t need to explain everything, just give him a vague idea of what you’ve dealt with over the years.”

Masamune breathed out through his nose, eyeballing the man across from him.

“Alright then, let’s start somewhere else with all this.” Chosokabe leaned forwards and folded his hands together over the table top. “Why don’t’ you want to tell him.”

“We’re going in circles,” Masamune sighed.

“It’s going to come up at some point, and knowing you it’s going to be the worst possible time. So why not just mention it?”

“If it comes up, it comes up. If it doesn’t, then there’s no point in making some sort of spontaneous comment about it. It would be like putting a sign around my neck and labeling me as damaged goods.”

Chosokabe didn’t argue with that logic, “All I’m saying is, at some point, if this is serious.”

“Alright, alright.” Masamune waved him off to signal the conversation was over.

“All I’m saying is that you have this tendency of not putting your all into something and being scared of messing stuff up. And if you don’t learn to just get in there and deal with things, you’re gonna miss out on a lot.”

Which was true. Masamune could be loud and outgoing, but he had a shy nature, didn’t like to talk about himself. All the things that make for a mysterious bad boy, but with a higher GPA. But talking to Kojuro was always easy, he understood the whole mutual disclosure thing. There were just some things that he wasn’t sure he would ever be ready to tell.

There wasn’t a real commitment just yet, so it was okay. They were taking things slow and getting to know one another instead of jumping into things. Kojuro had work, Masamune had school. They didn’t get to see each other that often so it would be weird if they both just started spilling their guts out.

Then a year passed and Masamune still hadn’t mentioned it. Normally it wouldn’t bother him, but Kojuro would talk about family and friends and Masamune could only give little bits and pieces. It was starting to make everything he was holding in feel like a dirty little secret. And in a way it was. It was a shame he carried since childhood, and he’d rather people didn’t know about it.

Worse, it turned out that Chosokabe was right.  All these thoughts and insecurities did come out some time later when he was in bed with Kojuro. They didn’t get anywhere that night, and he declared that he was tired and rolled over to go to sleep.

It was a few days later before he could properly confess his feelings to Kojuro. He wasn’t ready to tell him that he loved him, Masamune wasn’t quite there. He could say that he liked him and nothing more at the time being. And Kojuro was so gentle with him in that moment, so understanding it was almost painful.

The kiss that followed was scorching. Kojuro was cupping his face and pulling him close. There was no pressure to do anything more than touch, and kiss. Sitting on Kojuro’s lap and making out like lovesick teenagers. Mouths open, tongues mingling.

“Kojuro,” Masamune moaned, unable to explain why he was so hot and bothered. He wanted Kojuro in this moment, but thought it was best to let things be. But Kojuro could feel him starting to become erect. His thighs trembled and he went to pull away.

Kojuro let him go. There was no pressure, no shame in not wanting to continue. He tenderly let his hands trace down Masamune’s sides as he started to pull away. Kojuro looked up at Masamune with nothing but affection and patience. And Masamune knew that Kojuro was more than willing to wait to for him, to be ready to open up to him.

It had been a slow process as Masamune finally started to let Kojuro in, started to talk a bit more about his past. All the while excluding certain details that he was too ashamed of. It was a long road to get to the point of trust that they had, and even then Masamune still found himself keeping that one part a secret.

Now, the day before Christmas, he felt so safe wrapped in Kojuro’s arms, as he looked at the tree in their living room, their home. And yet there was a feeling of dread that lurked just under the surface. Emotions that had been waiting to burst for years.

“Masamune?” Kojuro’s voice brought him back to reality, back to the present.

“There’s something I want to tell you.” Masamune looked up at him trying not to break like he knew he would.

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! Hope you guys don't hate me. One more chapter left! Woot!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kojuro and Masamune finally talk things out. Kojuro finds out something about how they got together that he didn't expect, and comes to terms with what his family thinks of him and Masamune.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter!

Kojuro couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Masamune started to explain the darker parts of his past to him. He wasn’t sure what made him suddenly decide to tell him all this now, but he was more than ready to listen to him. He hugged him, pulling him impossibly closer. He all but had Masamune smothered against him. He wanted him to feel covered, protected, safe.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Masamune was holding onto him just as tight. His face was in Kojuro’s chest. “At first she just ignored me, wouldn’t let me go out when my dad wasn’t around. Then she started hitting me, and locking me away…” He took a deep breath. He was fighting back tears. Kojuro’s hand was on his back rubbing soothing circles, trying to find some way to make him feel better.

“I’ve never celebrated the holidays like this before, not that I can remember. My dad was at work and my mom didn’t want me around. I do enjoy this. I enjoy having your family over, but it keeps reminding me of what I’ve never had, and what I’ll never be able to get back. I mean, my dad tried to help me after he left my mom. After she took my eye. I never participated in it, because I still felt like I wasn’t supposed to.”

“Why didn’t you tell me, I would have…”

“I didn’t want you to know,” Masamune sat up to look at Kojuro. Tears were streaming down his lone eye as he pleaded with him to understand. “When I met you, Kojuro,” he took his hands in his. “It was a new beginning.” He let himself smile the slightest bit. “You liked that I was loud. You liked that I cooked without recipes, and that I had a weird fascination with dragons.  You were the first person in my life who didn’t know about what happened to me. Since the first time we met you looked at me like I was something special, not like I'm damaged goods. When you started to treat me like I'm fragile, I knew it was because you loved me, not because you thought I was broken”

“Masamune.” Kojuro wasn’t sure what to say, but he wanted to convey what he was feeling. He was worried, and wasn’t sure what to do to help.

“And I love you, so much, you have no idea,” Masamune confessed. “But I just…I felt like I didn’t deserve you. You were so sweet and attentive, and I was nothing compared to you.”

“You deserve much more than I can give you,” Kojuro wiped Masamune’s tears away. “So much more.”

“I felt like I would ruin anything I touched,” Masamune shook his head. “It’s why for a while I couldn’t bring myself to get closer. I thought I would stain you, bring you down to my level. I know it sounds stupid, but that’s how I felt at the time.”   His voice was starting to break, making it harder to understand him.

It didn’t help when he was starting to feel better about himself just in time for the next family reunion.  Being older, Masamune had decided he would be alright if he went. He doubt his mother was even going to stick around that long. In the beginning it had been good: he saw a lot of relatives that he hadn’t seen in awhile. Then his mother arrived with Masamichi and her two younger kids. He had been expecting to see them withdrawn and with eyes downcast, but they were bright eyed and bushy tailed. They were running around and saying hi to everyone, happy to be here. They adored their mother. It was in that moment that Masamune realized, it wasn’t that his mother could only love Masamichi. It was that she could never love him.

And if his mother couldn’t love him, then who could?

“It’s just hard,” Masamune told Kojuro, “It’s hard for me to sometimes get my mindset out of being so self-loathing. When I’m with you, it’s easier. But there are times when I’m left to my own devices, in my own head, that I can’t always stay so upbeat.”

“I understand,” Kojuro said softly. “I know how you feel.”

Masamune didn’t challenge him. He lifted a single eyebrow and waited for Kojuro to finish explaining.

“When I was younger I was bullied after I kissed this guy on the gymnastic team.” Kojuro couldn’t bring himself to say his name. “It got bad really fast. I was isolated and picked on, I couldn’t bring myself to tell my family. Then things escalated and they beat me so bad I ended up in the hospital.”

Now it was Masamune hugging Kojuro as he spoke.

“I carried it with me for years. When people in the workplace found out, I thought it was going to be the same thing all over again. I managed to speak up for myself this time, and my boss got involved and the people who were targeting me got fired.” Kojuro omitted a few details of the story for the sake of the situation. “I still carry some of those scars from that time with me, but they fade, and they only remind me to keep fighting. It doesn’t hurt as much, it took me a while to see myself as anything other than all the slurs they called me by.”

Masamune’s lips quivered as Kojuro relayed the story. He was barely holding it together as he said, “Look at us. So much time had passed and we would have been able to help each other better if we had just said something.” His voice cracked around the end.

“Come here.” Kojuro pulled him back down and kissed his lips before bringing him down more and kissing the top of his head. “Don’t force yourself to be happy if you’re not. If something’s wrong, let me know. I know you’re not damaged. You’re hurt, and you’re healing. Wounds hurt when they start to close. If you need me, I’m here for you.”

Masamune was silent after that. He left himself find comfort in Kojuro’s arms, and his words. This was all he ever wanted. To be loved unconditionally and without judgment, and not have to question if it was out of pity. Not that he was writing off his friends and family; this was different, a bit more intimate, and left him less skeptical.

“We’re gonna be okay,” Kojuro said softly, as if he was speaking to himself.

“Yeah, we are,” Masamune smiled and looked up at him. “I’m sorry for worrying you so much. Thanks for being so understanding.”

“I wasn’t too worried. I knew if something was wrong that you would come to me eventually. I thought that you just didn’t like having my family around since they were kind of invading your space.”

“No, your family is cool, I like them. I can tell they care about you a lot.”

“They do. Sometimes it feels like they’re a little too invested.” Kojuro gave a sheepish smile. He didn’t bother to bring up the current conflict going on right now. There wasn’t anything he could do to lighten the situation. Bringing it up at a time like this would only make things worse, and ruin the moment they were having.

Masamune kissed him again, his face all pink and dimpled. His hand were gently placed on Kojuro’s chest. There was no doubt that he could feel his heart beating madly in his chest. The kiss was slow and gentle as Masamune got Kojuro to open up to him. It was a slow burn between them as the kiss deepened.

“We should take this upstairs,” Kojuro panted in-between kisses.

“Yeah,” Masamune agreed. Kojuro’s arms wrapped around his body and lifted them both off the couch. “But your family is here. It kind of feels wrong to do this with them right in the other room.”

“Seriously?” Kojuro quirked his eyebrow. “If we’re quiet…”

“When am I ever?” Masamune smirked at him like he was being nonsensical. Kojuro pouted, and Masamune gave a short laugh. “I know. I had plans for you this holiday.”

“Oh really?” Kojuro’s tone was playful as he tried to taunt Masamune into telling him what it was.

“Two words: Sexy Santa.” Masamune grinned as he watched Kojuro digest what those words meant.  Kojuro’s mouth opened as if to gasp. That was when Masamune added, “But your parents are here, so I guess we’ll have to wait until next year.”

“I’m s-sure we c-could…” Kojuro sputtered, trying to come up with some sort of compromise.

“Maybe after they leave, but I’m not making any promises.”

Kojuro let out a small chuckle as he shook his head. It was getting late, and Masamune’s eye was still red and irritated from crying. Despite that, they were both in a better mood, and they could do with getting some sleep. They would have to wake up in a few hours when Kita deems it a reasonable time to open presents.

“Let’s get some sleep.” Kojuro kissed Masamune’s cheek, loving the way the younger man beamed and blushed. He turned into the kiss to catch his lips in one last goodnight kiss before they went upstairs.

~.~.~.~.~

Christmas morning was peaceful. Kojuro’s mom put on some sort of holiday CD that was playing in the background, and Masamune was by the tree with Kita, sorting through the boxes and passing out presents to the others. 

Kojuro had set up shop on the couch, nursing a cup of coffee. He’d slept better last night than he had since this visit had first started. It still left him feeling a bit tired. His eyes closed a few times and he dozed off in the middle of conversations, but he was relaxed and happy. The conversation his family was having helped to soothe him further.

“Are these real diamonds?” Kita was gushing.

“Why wouldn’t they be?” Masamune asked.

“Holy shit!” Kita held up her wrist so she could get a better look at the bracelet that Masamune had given her. “And look at that design! It’s so pretty.

His mom sat next to Kojuro with her own cup of coffee.

“I was expecting Kita to be more critical of him.” She said as she pats him on his knee, pulling him from his daze.

“I knew she would go easy on him,” Kojuro leaned back against the couch. Kita had always been the nicest when it came to anyone he was seeing. That is to say, she was more willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. She was the last one to judge off of a first meeting.

“I know but, this isn’t like before when you brought Sasuke to meet us.”

“I’m surprised that you remember his name,” Kojuro gave her a knowing look. Many times during that visit Kojuro was sure she pretended to forget Sasuke’s name.

“This is different,” She said again in a calm voice. “I could tell he was a fling and this…I can tell he’s going to steal you away from us.” Her voice was quiet as if mourning at a funeral.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Kojuro reassured her.

“I can tell by the way you look at him, and how he looks at you. You’re in it for the long run.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Kojuro turned to look at her. He saw her face pinch up and he instantly knew that she still didn’t particularly care for the age gap.

“He’s a nice boy, and he makes you happy. That’s all I need to know.” She gave him that soft motherly smile. Supportive, but still worried.

“Thanks, Mom.” Kojuro looked over to where Masamune and Kita were still going through the boxes. Masamune looked up from where he was. His hair was still a mess atop his head since he hadn’t combed through it this morning. He gave Kojuro a toothy grin, showing off that one sharp incisor. He called it his dragon's tooth.

It made his heart skip a beat, and he felt like he was floating. His parents weren't crazy about them being together, but they seemed to like Masamune regardless. For right now, he could live with this. Maybe they would be able to see past the gap one day and be okay with them.

“Sooooo,” Kita interjected. “I feel like a good Christmas story for today may involve us finally figuring out how you two met. You never told me, and I’ve been waiting for this story since you told me about him.”

Kojuro sighed. His mother was agreeing with Kita about how much she wanted to hear it as well, while Dad was snickering from his chair. Masamune looked over at Kojuro and shrugged with a shy grin on his face. It wasn’t like it was a bad story, he just didn’t like the idea of having to be put on the spot in front of his whole family and…

“Alright guys,” Masamune shushed them. “Gather ‘round and I’ll tell the story.”

“It’s probably not what you guys are thinking,” Kojuro warned.

“I’ve placed bets on coffee shop or online dating,” Kita nodded firmly as if agreeing with herself.

“Bus stop,” Dad guessed.

“Why the bus stop?” Kojuro looked confused.

“With your age range, it’s the only mutual meeting place I can think of since you don’t like the bar scene.”

“It could be the grocery store,” Mom added. “Everyone shops.”

“It wasn’t like that,” Kojuro sighed. Masamune was giving him an impish grin from where he was sitting. He was way too amused by this. “Remember when I got invited to guest lecture at that University?”

Kita nodded and said, “I remember you mentioning it once or twice…actually, you talked about it a lot even after that.” Kojuro could see exactly when the lightbulb went off over her head. “The guy you mentioned who was interviewing you for their thesis paper?”

“Was me!” Masamune pointed to himself with such pride it was almost ridiculous.

“You never did tell me what grade you got on it.” Kojuro raised an eyebrow and he watched as the corners of Masamune’s lips started to droop. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought it up; he knows how much Masamune takes pride in his grades. Anything in the C-range is like a death sentence to him.

“About that,” Masamune looked down and away. “There was never any paper,” His cheeks turned pink. “I just needed an excuse to talk to you again.” There was a brief silence before he added, “Hey, it worked.”

Kojuro smiled and laughed. If his parent’s weren’t here then they would be making out under the tree right now.

“So I would say I got an A,” Masamune declared. “But yeah, that’s how we met. He was the guest lecturer and I managed to get his number.”

“Did you come up with real questions?” Kita asked, “Or did you kind of go ‘surprise, it’s a date!’?”

“I took the time to think up a thesis  _ and _ to come up with real questions. And sometimes I would text him follow up questions to try to keep communications going, before I got around to asking him out.”

“Love at first sight,” Mom nudged Kojuro. Even Dad was smiling at him.

“You guys are too much,” Kita decided that going through the last few presents. That seemed to be the end of the conversation, for the moment being. He found it to be a relief. He knows he’s blushing like a schoolgirl, but he can’t help it. He would never have thought that Masamune would have gone that far just to talk to him.

“Kojuro, get in on this,” Masamune called from where he was by the tree. “You haven’t opened mine yet.”

Yes, this was perfect.

Fin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnd that's it! I hope you guys likes this and I'm sorry for the bittersweet ending. 
> 
> As I started writing it I couldn't think of a way to resolve every problem without it seeming forced. 
> 
> But yeah, I guess that's it...
> 
> Let me know what you think.

**Author's Note:**

> This one is a bit different from any other story I've ever worked on. I do a lot more with Kojuro's point of view. I also hope that you guys pay attention to the warnings. I don't normally tag warnings, but I plan on taking things as far as I can go, so I feel tagging is appropriate.
> 
> I hope you guys stick around in the future and enjoy the story ^^
> 
> Thanks for reading.


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